Fact Check: Did Aaron Bushnell post an anti-Semitic comment on Reddit? Viral claim debunked

Trigger warning: The content of the article may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.

Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old US airman, died after he set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C, as an act of protest against Israel's military actions in Gaza on February 25, 2024. The self-immolation was live-streamed on the streaming platform Twitch after Bushnell proclaimed, "I will no longer be complicit in genocide."

Following his death, many pro-Israel activists have taken to spreading around an alleged anti-Semitic comment made by Bushnell on Reddit that said, "Palestine will be free when all the Jews are dead."

However, this viral allegation has been debunked by fact-checking website Snopes.com, which rated the claims as "Fake" after finding no proof that Bushnell wrote the comment.

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Viral anti-Semitic allegation against Aaron Bushnell debunked

On February 28, allegations started floating on social media that Aaron Bushnell was responsible for an anti-Semitic comment on Reddit that stated, "Palestine will be free when all the Jews are dead."

The fact-checking website Snopes.com, did a deep dive into this allegation to assert its origin. The comment was posted from the handle "acebush1", which Snopes claimed was Bushnell's alleged Reddit handle, as the posting history had plenty of references to the Air Force and a confirmation that the user was an active-duty member.

Crosschecking the handle with other social media sites, Snopes discovered that an Instagram account belonging to Aaron Bushnell with the same username was created in April 2018.

Using various third-party software, Snopes.com could go through Bushnell's Reddit comments, which included his deleted comments, and found no evidence to support the claims that Aaron Bushnell posted the anti-Semitic comment.

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Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation was live-streamed on Twitch

According to the BBC, Aaron Bushnell, decked in his military attire, live-streamed himself walking up to the Israeli embassy at around 1 pm on Sunday, where he identified himself as an "active-duty member" of the US Air Force. He continued,

"I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force. And I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers—it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

Video footage of the self-immolation shared on social media showed the US airman positioning his camera on the ground before dousing himself with a liquid accelerant and lighting himself on fire using a lighter. As the flames engulfed his body, he could be heard repeatedly shouting, "Free Palestine."

Secret Service officers extinguished the flames before moving him to a hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. According to the BBC, Aaron Bushnell had sent emails to various media outlets to inform them about his protest, which he claimed would be "highly disturbing."

"Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people," the email read.

This is not the first incident of self-immolation outside an Israeli diplomatic mission since the Israel-Gaza conflict began on October 7. According to Reuters, a protestor with a Palestinian flag self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he died.