#tw self immolation

[notaplaceofhonour]

An American man self-immolated in the name of Gaza, and I’m seeing two different responses:

from American leftists, acting like it’s a brave/commendable thing while do

from Palestinians, begging people not to do this

This is a man who was incredibly mentally unwell and committed suicide, initially planning to livestream his suicide, and people are applauding it—which inevitably encourages more people to follow suit, throwing their lives away too. And for what? How has this helped Palestinians in any way?

Suicide is not the answer—not to your personal struggles and not to global conflict and geopolitical struggles. If you find yourself around people who are encouraging you to see suicide as a beautiful or commendable political act, get out.

Think of all the good things you can keep doing for Gaza if you keep living. Think of your loved ones. Think of your own life. Your life has value, and you deserve to keep living.

I think Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, someone from Gaza, put it way better than I can in this tweet:

[noughticalcrossings]

Dr Stephen Stanley

Look forward to the party, Mr Collins

[anarcho-commeownism]

I watched the blurred footage of Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation, and I just want to give a warning to anyone that might be considering watching it: he is blurred after the fire catches, but the audio alone is extremely intense. The blurring also does not cover his entire body near the very end of the video, and you can see part of him on fire, unblurred.

If you believe you can handle it, please watch, and understand the message he sent with his life. If you can't handle it, that's okay. Read the transcript if you can. Take care of yourself, and keep fighting for a free Palestine. It's what Aaron wanted from all of us.

We need to keep fighting.

We need to end the genocide.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

[littlestpersimmon]

Dude lights himself on fire as the ultimate sacrifice and everyone online will lionize, fictionalize, speculate, demonize, pathologize and do everything else except the one thing he literally asked people to do(care about Palestine) clown planet. Anyway.

[kitmarlowe]

THE TROLLEY PROBLEM “I suppose it's the difference between killing...and letting die.”

[itsbansheebitch]

Active Duty Air Force Member sets Themselves on Fire. "I will no longer be complicit in genocide" "Free Palestine"

An active duty US Air Force member set themselves on fire outside the embassy. He introduced himself as an active duty member of the US Air Force, and said that he would, "no longer be complicit in genocide" and then set himself on fire. He said "Free Palestine" while he was ON FIRE.

I'm not going to share the pictures because it's quite graphic, but they are out there if you seek them out.

I saw this & the picture from a post that turned reblogs off. It had a lot of notes, but still, EVERYONE needs to know!

[paperstorm]

Saw this on twitter and (after crying a bit) wanted to share. A Reddit reply from Aaron Bushnell from march 2023. Heartbreaking that it’s too late now for him but dammit the best way to honour his sacrifice is to keep fighting.

[the-amazing-boop]

After learning of Aaron Bushnell's final act of protest, we [Americans] are now also learning of another case of self immolation that happened December 2023 as a response to the genocide in Gaza. Supposedly, it was an African American woman also in front of another Israeli embassy, currently unidentified, and their incident was swept under the rug (not surprising). I'm not certain of whether they lived or died.

If anyone knows more, please share what is allowed and appropriate to maintain truth. If it is a matter of family privacy, respect their wishes, whatever the matter may be.

Whoever you, thank you for your sacrifice. I hope you're resting easier now.

[kairos-in-space]

jumping on the billsona trend :3

@touch-starved-lurker tagging you since you wanted to see :3

[sayorkunau]

Mr. Bushnell replaced his cap on his head with the same conviction a military person salutes their commander. It was purposeful. It was rigid in proper form and that made it all the more graceful.

While the flames engulfed him he said the words “Free Palestine,” with so much conviction. Conviction used the same as he if he were addressing his superior: “Yes Sir.” And he kept doing so until he couldn’t anymore.

I can’t begin to convey words for what I’ve seen in my lifetime when it comes to Palestine. I can’t begin to articulate what I’ve seen since 7 October. I can’t imagine how to even begin the process contemplating self-immolation. I can’t.

I’m at a loss. As so many are.

[lambpaca]

I feel evil saying this, i really do. Especially after the fact.

But regarding the scientist who self immolated in protest for climate change awareness, and to the airman who self immolated in awareness of Palestine- we needed them alive. We need people like them alive because they were brave enough to make extreme statements, and take extreme measures and make sacrifice for their cause.

We need them alive because this form of protest is ultimately nothing but disturbing. Oil companies and billionaires and politicians lobbying to set the world on fire are not going to be moved by you being set on fire. As the airman self immolated, cops drew guns on him. Israel loves setting people on fire. To the people who needed to see it, for them, it's just Tuesday.

Most of all, people cannot be ending their own lives in protest because there should be nothing to protest in the first place. We should never be in a place where this is the measure people have to take.

Climate change is real, free Palestine and free Gaza

[bread-bloc]

The words of Aaron Bushnell, active duty u.s. air force in the moments before he self immolated outside the israeli embassy in washington dc yesterday. His courage and compassion will live far beyond the life he lived. As he lay burning, dying and still on fire, police held him at gunpoint.

"My name is Aaron Bushnell. I'm an active duty member of the u.s. air force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide.

I'm 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."

He screamed "Free Palestine" five times while his body was engulfed in flames.

image via @lsarsour @middleeastmonitor

[anarcho-commeownism]

x

[littlestpersimmon]

Does anyone know what to do if you're also genuinely wanting to set yourself on fire in front of an imperial core embassy

[cartoonghosts]

I've been seeing a lot of stuff about Aaron Bushnell recently and I just want to say that it is not okay to glorify suicide. I've seen people say that everyone who is in the countries supporting Israel should kill themselves to support the Palestinian cause and that is horrible. Not only does this make me, someone with a very recent history of suicide attempts and si, start spiraling and freaking out, it also just doesn't help. Dying for a cause will never further it. A living voice is so much more important and effective than a dead body. If everyone who supported palestine killed themselves for it, we would have no one supporting palestine. That was not a good thing to do. He was a mentally ill, traumatized man who committed suicide in a horrifying way in public, and sharing his story encourages other to end their lives thinking that it brings them meaning. The only meaning his death had is to his family and friends, who are mourning and horrified, and to the sick people who look at something like that and feel joy.

[kitthecrab]

May all our martyrs rest in power and may all the world see peace.

I've felt really touched by Aaron Bushnell's (in his own words) "extreme act of protest". We should all remember his sacrifice. Let's remember if nothing else. Let's remember those in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and all other suffering nations if nothing else. Let history see Aaron as a hero who sacrificed his life for Gaza as he was. Let history see the cop who simply pulled his gun, with no thought of the flames and the pain, as the coward he is. Let history look back with shame. Shame at the silence of those in power. And let us remember and teach, that this was a people's movement. May our martyrs rest in power.