• Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty U.S. Air Force member, shocked by Israel’s crimes in Gaza, set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., expressing his refusal to be complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.
• Bushnell’s act highlights the moral challenges faced by military service members, sparking concerns about the psychological impact of military service on personal values.
In a shocking incident on Sunday, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in protest against Israel’s ongoing onslaught within Gaza. The man, identified as Aaron Bushnell, livestreamed the incident on Twitch, declaring, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” before dousing himself in an unknown liquid and igniting it while shouting “Free Palestine.”
Emergency responders, including the U.S. Secret Service and local fire department, quickly arrived at the scene after a call reporting a person on fire outside the embassy. The fire had already been extinguished by Secret Service officers upon their arrival. Bushnell was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he would later succumb to his wounds seven hours later, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
The U.S. Air Force confirmed that the incident involved an active-duty airman. Rose Riley, a spokesperson for the Air Force, stated, “I can confirm an active-duty Airman was involved in today’s incident.” Authorities are investigating the case in collaboration with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
In the livestreamed video, Bushnell expressed his refusal to be complicit in what he referred to as genocide and emphasized that his actions were minimal compared to the suffering of Palestinians. The embassy has been a focal point for ongoing protests since the start of the offensive in Gaza. This incident follows a similar one in December, where a woman set herself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, marking an extreme act of political protest against Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Local authorities are also investigating a suspicious vehicle connected to the individual, with an explosive ordinance disposal team initially called to the scene. However, no hazardous materials were found in relation to the vehicle.
During his formative years, Bushnell was a part of a church group known as the Community of Jesus, an ecumenical Christian commune that has faced its fair share of controversy. On LinkedIn, he worked alongside his mother, Danielle Bushnell, for two years as IT and web developer at the group’s publishing house, the Paraclete Press. He would later join the Airforce in 2020, and eventually work his way to becoming a cyberdefense operations specialist with the 531st Intelligence Support Squadron while stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas.
In early November, the Biden administration deployed Airforce drones for surveillance, presumably for hostage rescue. However, on November 21, the U.S. Air Force issued deployment guidelines for officers, including those specializing in intelligence engagement, bound for Israel. Experts indicate that a team of targeting officers with this role would be responsible for supplying satellite intelligence to aid the Israelis in offensive targeting. Since the start of the invasion into Gaza, Israeli forces have dropped more than 29,000 bombs, which has led to the violent killings of over 35,069 innocent civilians, as reported by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. The Biden Administration, with the assistance of the Air Force, is directly complicit in this genocide, a reality that stirred discontent within Bushnell.
Screenshot of the deployment guidelines which indicates the Airmen had no choice but to mandatorily comply with the order.
This incident raises concerns about the potential impact of military service members feeling compelled to compromise their morals. His statement, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” suggests a deep sense of moral conflict related to his military service, expressing that his drastic actions were a response to the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. The psychological toll that military service may take on individuals, especially when they find themselves in situations that compromise their values, can be overwhelming as it is in this case.
On the morning of Aaron Bushnell’s passing, he shared a profound reflection on Facebook, posing a seemingly straightforward question. He said, ‘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.’
Self-immolations, while rare, have been notable acts of extreme protest often associated with anti-war sentiments. One iconic example is Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in Saigon in 1963 to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government. Similarly, Jan Palach’s self-immolation in Czechoslovakia in 1969 opposed the Soviet invasion, while Ryszard Siwiec’s act in Poland during the 1968 Harvest Festival protested the Warsaw Pact’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. In the United States, Norman Morrison, an activist and American Quaker, self-immolated outside the Pentagon in 1965 to protest the Vietnam War, leaving a lasting impact on anti-war demonstrations. More recently, Malachi Ritscher, a musician and anti-war activist, self-immolated near a Chicago expressway in 2006 as a stark statement against the Iraq War. These acts, though extreme, underscore the profound desperation and passion that can drive individuals to such drastic measures in their fervent pursuit of social or political change.
In the face of this tragic incident and the unrelenting crisis in Gaza, it is maddening to witness the suffocating discord between the American people and President Joe Biden’s woefully inadequate and genocidal policies. A staggering 60% of Americans, spanning 76% of Democrats, 57% of independents, and 49% of Republicans, unequivocally demand a ceasefire, only to be met with a deafening silence from the Biden administration. This egregious disparity becomes even more upsetting when you consider the mere 11% of Congress members who bother to support the urgent plea for peace. Joe Biden’s leadership is not just out of touch; it’s a slap in the face to the American public. This flagrant disregard for the collective will of the people is not just a political misstep; it’s a betrayal that leaves people seething with frustration. The disconnect between Biden’s disgraceful policies and the heartfelt cries for peace from the American people is nothing short of an outrage, calling into question not just his policies, but the very essence of accountability and representation.
The tragic story of Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire in protest against the ongoing crisis in Gaza, grimly exemplifies the profound consequences of such policy failures and the lengths people will go to demand peace.
