A journalist set himself on fire in LaFayette Park on Saturday during a pro-Palestine rally.
Samuel Mena Jr. set his arm on fire, opposite the White House.
As his arm burned, Mena shouted about “misinformation” and told onlookers “I’m a journalist and I said it was okay.”
Police officers and bystanders intervened to put out the flames.
A man attempted to self-immolate during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the White House yesterday.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 6, 2024
pic.twitter.com/jSlVod3GIv
The protest took place just a day before the one-year anniversary of the 7 October attacks in Israel that left 1,200 dead and precipitated a fresh Israeli invasion of Gaza and now southern Lebanon. Over 40,000 Palestinians have now died.
Mena is a graduate of Arizona State University’s School of Journalism and describes himself as a production specialist who currently works for AZF Family Channels 3 and 5.
His Twitter profile features a picture of him in front of the Palestinian flag, with the words, “From the river to the sea.”
According to The Daily Mail, Mena posted a “rambling” essay on his personal website in an attempt to justify his actions, outlining his issues, in particular, with journalistic coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Mena’s actions mirror those of Aaron Bushnell, a US serviceman who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington earlier this year. Bushnell died of his wounds in hospital.