World pays tribute to ‘victim of refusal’ to US-Israeli genocide

Global tributes pour in for Aaron Bushnell, the 25-year-old US Air Force soldier, who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 2024 in protest against the Israeli regime’s heavily-US-backed genocide against the Gaza Strip.

On the first anniversary of his self-immolation, activists gathered across Washington, D.C. to honor Bushnell’s memory, holding three separate vigils, one outside the Israeli mission at the exact time of his protest action, and two others outside the White House.

Vigil held outside Israeli embassy in Washington to remember Aaron Bushnell

A vigil has been held outside Israeli embassy in Washington to remember Aaron Bushnell.

Protesters carried placards reading, “Free Palestine” and denounced the United States complicity in the war on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 48,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023, despite implementation of a ceasefire agreement last month.

“Aaron Bushnell sacrificed his life to draw attention to the genocide in Gaza,” said a retired US Army soldier, who attended the vigil. “Palestinians have been suffering since 1947, and his message reminds us to stand with the oppressed—no matter where they are,” he added, referring to the year before the one, in which the Israeli regime started claiming existence following a Western-backed war against regional territories.

During one of the White House vigils, attendees played a recording of Bushnell’s final moments, in which he declared, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide.” His last words, “Free Palestine!” meanwhile, echoed across the gathering as candles were lit in his memory. Prayers were also recited in both Arabic and Hebrew, as a sign of, what observers have called, the universality of his message.

Bushnell, who used to function as a software engineer in the US Air Force, had previously worked with unhoused communities in Texas, where comrades described him as “one of the most principled” and selfless individuals they had ever known.

His act of protest was livestreamed on social media, where he compared his self-immolation to the suffering endured by Palestinians under Israeli occupation, even stating that his action was “not extreme at all” compared to what Palestinians experienced daily.

US airman protesting genocide in Gaza dies after setting himself on fire

Aaron Bushnell said he will no longer be complicit in genocide before setting himself alight.

Despite attempts to suppress coverage of his sacrifice, Bushnell’s legacy has spread globally. Streets in the Palestinian city of Areeha (Jericho) have been named after him, and his image now adorns billboards in Yemen’s capital Sana’a. The billboards read, “I will no longer be complicit in the genocide in Gaza. Free Palestine,” while referring to him as the victim of “refusal” to the genocide.

Also, in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Dhayiheh in the Lebanese capital Beirut, a banner was raised to honor Bushnell, reading, "Bushnell, from the people of loyalty and sincerity, to your pure soul. Your devotion and loyalty to the Palestinian people will remain a trust in our necks for eternity."

Bushnell’s death came amid a rising tide of global protests against the US-backed Israeli military aggression in Gaza, which has featured incessant indiscriminate bombings and ground assaults.

His final act of defiance has amplified calls for the United States to end its unconditional support for the Israeli regime’s military operations.

“None of us should have had to know Aaron’s name. But we do—because he made the ultimate sacrifice to remind the world that silence in the face of genocide is complicity,” said one speaker at the Washington vigil.

Pundits note that Bushnell’s memory now stands as a testament to the power of individual protest in the face of systemic oppression, with his legacy continuing to inspire global solidarity with the Palestinian people, and his sacrifice having turned into a powerful symbol of defiance against Washington and Tel Aviv’s complicity in deadly regional aggression.

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