As Aaron Bushnell burns self over Gaza War, Know other Self-Immolators
Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation against the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza has reminded the world of the sacrifices made by other peace activists who set themselves ablaze protesting persecution and the American War in Vietnam. Read More
[Buddhist Monk Thich Quang Duc's Self-Immolation: The coloured version of Malcolm Browne’s photograph which won the World Press Photo of the Year Award 1963 (Associated Press File)]
Aaron Bushnell, an American Active Member of U.S. Airforce, Sunday February 25, 2024, self-immolated himself in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC protesting against the Zionist War on Gaza.
Aaron Bushnell, 25, live-broadcasted his self-immolation on social media, said, ‘I will no longer be complicit in genocide’, and repeatedly yelled “Free Palestine” as he fell on the ground, his body engulfed in flames.
Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation against the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza has reminded the world of the sacrifices made by other peace activists who set themselves ablaze protesting persecution and the American War in Vietnam.
Thich Quang Duc
On June 10, 1963, few American Journalists were informed that something unusual was going to happen the following day near the Cambodian embassy in Ho Chi Minh City, the most populous city in Vietnam commonly known as Saigon.
These were the early days of the American War in Vietnam where the Buddhist population was more than 70 per cent. But the Catholic regime of Ngo Dinh Diem persecuted them so brutally that it led to what the world now knows as Buddhist crisis and an uprising like situation in the country.
Thich Quang Duc was a Buddhist Monk and Chairman of the Panel on Ceremonial Rites of the Congregation of Vietnamese Monks. On June 11, 1963, he arrived at the intersection of Phan Đình Phùng Boulevard (now Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Street) and Lê Văn Duyệt Street (now Cách Mạng Tháng Tám Street), a few blocks southwest of the Presidential Palace (now the Reunification Palace) in Saigon.
Thich Quang Duc boarded off a car and sat in the traditional Buddhist meditative lotus position on a cushion placed on the road by a fellow monk and set himself ablaze protesting against the persecution of the Buddhists at the hands of Ngo Dinh Diem.
Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation shocked the world. Associated Press (AP) Journalist Malcolm Browne, was among the few journalists present on the spot.
Malcolm Browne captured the moment when Thich Quang Duc ignited himself and sacrificing his life for peace and against injustice. Malcolm’s photograph later won the World Press Photo of the Year Award 1963.
Alice Herz
Alice Herz was a German feminist, anti-fascist and peace activist. She was the person in the United States to have ended her life by self-immolation protesting against the US war in Vietnam.
82-year-old Alice Herz burnt herself on March 16, 1965 on a street in Detroit, less than two years after Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation in Saigon. She succumbed to her injuries ten days later.
Before deciding to sacrifice her life for peace, Alice Herz had confided to a friend that she resorted to all protest methods available to activists, including protest march and writing countless articles and letters, without any result, and wondered what else she could do.
Norman Morrison
Norman Morrison, was a devout Quaker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations, and American anti-war activist.
He ended his life by self-immolation below the office of Robert McNamara, then US Secretary of Defense, at Pentagon on November 02, 1965 protesting against the America’s Vietnam War.
Morrison took his one-year-old daughter Emily along when he went to Pentagon to sacrifice his life for peace. Morrison handed Emily to people near him before he doused himself in kerosene.
On why Morrison took Emily along, his wife Anne said:
“It was a powerful symbol of the children we were killing with our bombs and napalm who didn't have parents to hold them in their arms."
Seven days after Morrison’s self-immolation, Roger Allen LaPorte set himself afire in front of the United Nations building in New York on November 09, 1965.
On November 06, 1965, Roger LaPorte had attended an anti-war demonstration on Union Square in New York City. Three days later, LaPorte composed himself in the position of the Buddhist monks of Vietnam, doused himself with gasoline, and set himself alight.
Besides these self-immolators, there are at least six more Americans including Hiroko Hayasaki - a Japanese-American Buddhist, Erik Thoen - a student of Zen Buddhism, George Winne - a university student, Ronald Brazee - a high school student, and Florence Beaumont, a housewife, who similarly ended their life and died for peace.
How much impact these self-immolations had on the American War in Vietnam could be gauged from the fact that it was only in 1975 that the US war in Vietnam finally came to end.
As many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters were killed during the Vietnam War, according to the official estimate released in 1995. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war, according to Britannica.
The Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 30,000 and left about 70,000 others injured as on Feb 26, 2024 and in 142 days of its carnage against the Palestinians started on Oct 7, 2023. Some 7,500 Palestinians are missing or trapped under the debris and are presumed dead, according to Palestine Ministry of Health.
Close to 1.4 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes and are now without food and water because of the Israeli blockade.
After Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation against the Gaza War in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington Sunday, peace activists are hoping that his sacrifice will not go in vain and will indeed shake the conscience of the world leaders who are either mutely watching or, covertly or openly, aiding what has been described by the observers as the “genocide which is broadcasted live in front of the word for the first time”.
Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.
For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.
Post Comments