Protests Against Israel's Genocide In Gaza, US Activist Burns Himself In Boston

Illustration of Self-Implementation (Unsplash)

New YORK - A US activist set fire in front of the Israeli Consulate in Boston, Massachusetts, last week in protest against Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the local police said the incident occurred on September 11 at around 20:10. The man suffered serious burns and was rushed to hospital. Police have not disclosed the identity of the activist or the motive for his actions because the investigation is still ongoing.

The Suflok County Regional Prosecutor's Office in New York announced that they were investigating the incident. According to local media, the incident took place in front of Hotel Four Seasons near the Israeli Consulate in Boston.

A CCTV footage shows the man burning himself after pacing back and forth in front of the hotel. People around the location immediately tried to extinguish the fire in his body. An eyewitness told Boston NBC10 that he and his friend ran to the scene after hearing screams and tried to extinguish the fire in a backpack.

He described the situation at the time as a very sad andggravating situation. Another witness, Jeferson Zapata, told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra that the man poured gasoline on his body before setting himself on fire.

Zapata said he and several others were trying to spray water on the man. The lack of statements from US authorities and the lack of national media coverage on the matter has drawn criticism.

Although US authorities have not disclosed the man's identity under the pretext that the investigation is still ongoing, a number of social media users believe there is an attempt to cover up the incident. In a video that appears to be uploaded from Boston, a netizen claiming to be Matt Nelson said he would "conduct extreme protests."

"We are all guilty in the genocide (Israel) that is taking place in Gaza," he wrote as reported by Anodalu.

He said that the US people spend more money on weapons than education.

"We are slaves from the capitalism and military industrial complexes," he said. "Most of us are too apathy to care."

He admitted that the protests he would carry out were warnings for the government to stop supplying funds and weapons to Israel, which was used to kill innocent Palestinians.

'Reclaim power. Free Palestine,' he said, asserting.

In February, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old US Air Force soldier, also set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington in protest against an Israeli attack on Gaza.