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Protests Outside Embassy
Hundreds of protesters assembled outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington Tuesday accused the far-right Zionist regime of ‘war crimes’
“Hundreds of protesters assembled outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington Tuesday”
The protests described in the source centered on the viral footage of Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation outside the embassy
In Washington, the crowd grew to close to 300 people by Monday
Hundreds other gathered at Times Square in New York with banners including We will never forget Aaron Bushnell and Rest in Power Aaron Bushnell
Protesters at Times Square laid on the ground a white sheet written with the names of Palestinians massacred by the Israeli Occupation Forces
A protester outside the Israeli Embassy said, You killed that man! You pulled your guns out instead of a fire extinguisher!
Another protester said, Still today, I don't understand how a police officer can pull out and point a gun to a burning person
Gun-Pointing Controversy
A central feature of the protests was the claim that a guard pointed a gun at Bushnell while he was engulfed in flames
The source says before them came a guard pointing his gun at burning US soldier
Protesters condemned the gun with You killed that man! You pulled your guns out instead of a fire extinguisher!
The same account includes a protester asking Still today, I don't understand how a police officer can pull out and point a gun to a burning person
Social-media commentary quoted in the source treats the gun image as symbolic
Another quoted social-media comment says Aaron Bushnell sacrificed his life to create a symbol of refused compliance with genocide
Video, Slogans, and Live Stream
The protests were tied to how Bushnell’s act was documented and circulated
“live streamed his “extreme act of protest” on Twitch”
The source says Bushnell live streamed his extreme act of protest on Twitch
It also says he shouted Free Palestine after he set himself on fire and kept on shouting it
Another source says Bushnell shouted free Palestine repeatedly
The protest-related coverage quotes Bushnell saying I will no longer be complicit in genocide
The protests are portrayed as a response to the political meaning attached to the act
Broader Mobilizations Across the US
The sources describe wider mobilizations across the United States beyond Washington and Times Square
Peoples Dispatch says hundreds of protests and mass mobilizations have been organized over the last four months
It says the demands included an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ending all aid to Israel
It ties the Israeli embassy in Washington to being a central site of protest since the war began
It references a December self-immolation outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta
It claims the U.S. vetoed ceasefire resolutions at least three times since October last year and supplied billions of dollars of arms and ammunition
Official and Investigative Backdrop
Newsweek’s fact check describes an investigative backdrop to the protests
“The Pentagon labeled the event as a "tragic event"”
It says the Pentagon labeled the death a tragic event and that authorities continued to investigate
Newsweek reports that the claim about an Israeli guard pointing a gun was false and that the person was USSS Uniformed Division personnel
It quotes Anthony Guglielmi praising USSS officers who acted to render aid
It includes a Metropolitan Police Department report with a timeline starting at 1 p.m. on February 25, 2024
It states that Secret Service officers intervened before the fire department arrived
