Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell
On Feb25, 2024 Aaron Bushnell of USAirForce, died by setting himself on fire in front of the Embassy of Israel Washington DC
Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of the US Air Force
Background
Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!"
Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!"
Bushnell grew up in Orleans, Massachusetts, in the isolated Christian Community of Jesus compound. He attended Nauset Regional High School, and worked for a Brewster, Massachusetts-based Christian book, music, and video publishing company from 2015 to 2017. He told a friend that he left the Community of Jesus in 2019. He started his caree
Bushnell grew up in Orleans, Massachusetts, in the isolated Christian Community of Jesus compound. He attended Nauset Regional High School, and worked for a Brewster, Massachusetts-based Christian book, music, and video publishing company from 2015 to 2017. He told a friend that he left the Community of Jesus in 2019. He started his career with the United States Air Force (USAF) in May 2020, having completed Basic & Technical Training. He was trained as a Client Systems Technician, specialising in cybersecurity. He later worked as a USAF DevOps engineer in San Antonio, Texas, and was pursuing an undergraduate degree in software engineering from Southern New Hampshire University. A friend of Bushnell named Lupe Barboza said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Bushnell was religious and anti-imperialistic,[9] but that she did not think that Bushnell was mentally ill. Other friends said that Bushnell's contract with the military was to expire in May and that, following the police murder of George Floyd, Bushnell became more open in his objections with the military. Bushnell thought of himself as an anarchist. Less than two weeks before his suicide, he talked with a friend about their shared identities as anarchists and the risks and sacrifices that are needed to be effective as anarchists. Bushnell used the anarchist symbol as his profile photo on the Twitch account he used to livestream his suicide, and his username was "LillyAnarKitty". He also followed and liked several anarchist pages on Facebook. In the last months of his life he also published many posts in various anarchism-related Reddit communities. CrimethInc, an anarchist collective, claimed that Bushnell contacted them shortly before his suicide, asking them to "make sure that the footage is preserved and reported on". A Reddit account attributed to Bushnell denounced Israel as a "settler colonialist apartheid state" and posted a comment stating that there are no Israeli "civilians" who are not involved in the oppression of Palestine.
Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!"
Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!"
Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!"
On February 25, 2024, at approximately 12:58 p.m. local time, Aaron Bushnell, dressed in military fatigues, holding a uncapped water bottle filled with highly flammable liquid in his lefthand and his live streaming device and his Air Force cap in his righthand. As such he approaches the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., intending to im
On February 25, 2024, at approximately 12:58 p.m. local time, Aaron Bushnell, dressed in military fatigues, holding a uncapped water bottle filled with highly flammable liquid in his lefthand and his live streaming device and his Air Force cap in his righthand. As such he approaches the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., intending to immolate himself as “an extreme act of protest” against the Israeli assault and genocide in Gaza. (He had also created a Twitch account under the name "LillyAnarKitty" with a Palestinian flag on his profile banner with the caption "Free Palestine”). Aaron Bushnell walked in a very composed manner and made his last statement in a fully clear, conscious and concise manner. While live-streaming, he walked towards the embassy and stated that: “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 colonisers—it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal”. Then Aaron Bushnell puts his live streaming device on the ground in front of the main gates of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C., now holding only his US Air Force cap in his righthand and the uncapped bottle with highly flammable liquid in his lefthand he took 4 determined steps straight towards the main gates of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., then he turned around and in a very focused manner he poured the highly flame liquid upon his head, shoulders and on his body, back and front. Then he put his US AirForce cap on his head and took out something from his righthand pocket and then he threw away the empty bottle towards his left side, Then he said out loud “Free Palestine”. Then he bent down and ignite the fire on himself. Instantaneously his US AirForce fatigues and immediate surroundings were on fire. The fire was burning very fast and very hot, the red an orange flams went right from the ground around and under his feet, the fast burning fire engulf his entire body and went about 4 to 6 feet above his head and around him, covering about 3 to 5 feet area around him was in intense fire. Burning in this very hot fire, he stood tall and strong to continue his protest in an unshaken manner, fisted firm he shouted out loud “Free Palestine”, as the fire was intensifying he shouted even louder “Free Palestine”, even with the increasing pain of the fire he continued with his protest and shouted again for the 3rd time “Free Palestine” the fire was burning too fast and too hot with great deal of bearing the pains he shouted for the 4th time “Free Palestine” the pain of his burning body was becoming unbearable, yet with diminishing voice he shouted his protest for the 5th time “Free Palestine” the body was unable to keep up with his courage, as he is falling down with great deal of pains he voiced for the 6th time “Free Palestine”. Before his voice went away he said for the 7th time “Free Palestine” and then finally for the 8th time he hardly completed saying “Free Palestine”.
A shining star of human values Aaron Bushnell will live forever.
After Aaron Bushnell ignited the fire, the security officer radioed in and asked for assistance. Three security officer approached the scene, by then Aaron Bushnell is severely burning. One of the three security officer holding a gun aimed at severly burning Aaron Bushnell, and ordering him out loud "get on the ground" “on the ground” multiple times while a police officer yelled "I don't need guns, I need fire extinguishers!" Multiple officers responded to the scene and used fire extinguishers on Aaron Bushnell in an effort to put off the fire.
Aaron Bushnell was transported to a local hospital by the DC Fire & EMS. About 7 hours after his self-immolation, Aaron Bushnell was declared dead at the age of 25 from his burn injuries at 8:06 pm local time.
Aaron Bushnell drafted a will before immolating himself, which left instructions for his savings to be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and that his cat be left with a neighbor after his death.
On February 25, 2024, 10:54 a.m. local time, the morning of his self-immolation, Aaron Bushnell posted a message on Facebook, writing:
"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' The answer is, you're doing it. Right now."
He also sent a message to media outlets before his planned self-immolation, where he wrote:
"Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people".
The last message he posted !
Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!"
The last message he posted !
Bushnell drafted a will before immolating himself, which left instructions for his savings to be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and that his cat be left with a neighbor after his death. On February 25, 2024, 10:54 a.m. local time, the morning of his self-immolation, Bushnell posted a message on Facebook, writing: "Many of
Bushnell drafted a will before immolating himself, which left instructions for his savings to be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and that his cat be left with a neighbor after his death. On February 25, 2024, 10:54 a.m. local time, the morning of his self-immolation, Bushnell posted a message on Facebook, writing: "Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' The answer is, you're doing it. Right now." He also sent a message to media outlets before his planned self-immolation, where he wrote "Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people".