Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in Washington, DC, in February to make a statement against the US' support of Israel in the war with Hamas.In February, Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC.while screaming “Free Palestine,” reveals a disturbed backstory replete with radicalism and activism. It’s a cautionary tale about where falling prey to ideological narratives can lead.
According to New York Magazine, he was with a leftist organizer friend when he heard of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The reaction? “‘We were like, ‘Cool, f–k yea, they broke out of their prison.’”He dubbed democracy “a sham that was invented by the first great slave state of history, and not coincidentally adopted by the last,” referring to the United States and Israel.
Analyzing complex conflicts through the lens of “good guys” and “bad guys” affords an activist a simplistic righteousness, and absolves them of the obligation to dig deeper and actually engage with both sides of an issue.The dichotomy has been on broad display since October 7 — from students on campuses screaming “from the river to the sea” and heralding a “student intifada” all the way to the extreme of Bushnell dousing himself in gasoline and striking a lighter to his pants.