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“I Will No Longer Be Complicit in Genocide”: U.S. Military Member Dies After Setting Himself on Fire in Protest

HeadlineFeb 26, 2024

An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, saying he could no longer be complicit in genocide. Twenty-five-year-old Aaron Bushnell live-streamed his own self-immolation. In the video, he could be heard screaming “Free Palestine” as the fire spread. Bushnell, who was wearing his Air Force uniform, spoke on the live stream prior to setting himself on fire.

Aaron Bushnell: “I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

Authorities in Washington said Aaron Bushnell died after succumbing to his injuries.

In December, a protester with a Palestinian flag self-immolated outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia.

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