Left-wing presidential candidates and activists are praising a U.S. airman who self-immolated himself outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Fire officials and police were called to the scene around 1 p.m. Sunday after 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell, who was on active duty in the Air Force, live-streamed himself approaching the embassy gates and consuming alcohol. He set himself on fire with an unknown liquid and shouted “Liberate Palestine” as his body burst into flames.
“Aaron Bushnell, come to power. I will no longer participate in genocide. Free Palestine!” His sacrifice deepens our resolve to stop genocide now. “I wish you all the best,” Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein wrote in a post to X, which included quotes from Bushnell’s livestream and disturbing screenshots of footage of his body on fire.
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Independent presidential candidate Cornel West echoed Stein, praising Bushnell’s “extraordinary courage and dedication” in dying “for truth and justice.”
“Let’s pray for his precious loved ones! Let’s recommit ourselves to true solidarity with the Palestinian people who are being subjected to genocidal attacks in real time!” Nishi added.
The Democratic Socialists of America said, “Aaron’s last words were a rejection of America’s complicity in the Gaza massacre. May his soul rest in peace, and may we live to liberate Palestine.” ”.
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Shortly after the flames covering Bushnell’s body were extinguished, he was taken to a hospital where he later died. The Pentagon described his actions as a “tragic event” and expressed condolences to his family.
According to reports after his death, Mr. Bushnell was an anarchist who grew up in a religious sect in Orleans, Massachusetts, and later attended events organized by “socialist” groups in Texas, where he lived.
He was reportedly “furious” over the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza.
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From left to right: Independent presidential candidate Cornel West, the late US Airman Aaron Bushnell, and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. (Getty Images/X)
The Air Force said it continues to investigate Bushnell’s death.
When asked for comment, Stein’s campaign told Fox News Digital that Stein’s “this extraordinary sacrifice further highlights the untold horrors that our government is committing in our name.” He introduced Tuesday’s press release.
“Aaron Bushnell made it very clear that he did this extreme act to protest the government’s extreme policies that are killing thousands of innocent people in horrific ways. His sacrifice reminds us of the sacrifice of Buddhist monks protesting the US-backed oppression of their own people in Vietnam. It is truly tragic that the horrific acts of the US and Israel have caused such desperate sacrifices. ” she added.
FOX News Digital also reached out to the Western camp for comment.
FOX News’ Bradford Betts and Luis Casiano contributed to this report.
