Man sets himself on fire outside Israeli consulate in Boston, US
Surveillance video shows a man setting himself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in the US city of Boston, purportedly in protest of the regime’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The incident happened around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, outside the Israeli consulate which is across from the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Boston.
There was a large police presence as investigators collected evidence and searched cars in the area on Thursday.
Witnesses described the scene as deeply upsetting. The person was taken to a local hospital for severe burns, but his current condition is unknown.
The person’s identity, motives, and condition are currently unknown. But his action is reminiscent of Aaron Bushnell, who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC in February 2024 to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
NBC10 Boston reported that the incident happened outside the Four Seasons hotel but did not mention the Israeli consulate.
Police said they were assisting in an investigation, and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said it was aware of the situation.
Authorities did not immediately provide any further details.
Surveillance video obtained by NBC10 Boston shows the man walking back and forth outside the hotel before going up in flames.
On February 25, Bushnell, an active-duty member of the US Air Force, set himself ablaze in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, in an act of protest against the US administration’s support for the occupying regime’s campaign.
The 25-year-old airman was dressed in US military attire as he used a lighter to set himself on fire after dousing himself in a flammable liquid.
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people are experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all,” he said in a video he made while walking in front of the embassy.
“This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal. Free Palestine.”
Bushnell was engulfed in flames for approximately one minute before law enforcement officials extinguished the fire.
