US veterans and anti-war activists came together in California’s downtown San Jose and burnt their uniforms in a show of solidarity to Aaron Bushnell, a young Air Force member who took his own life in protest against the war on Gaza.
The vigil on Wednesday, not only commemorated Bushnell’s life but also amplified a collective call for peace and an end to the violence that has ravaged Gaza.
Among the speakers was a Vietnam War veteran, whose history of anti-war organizing lent a poignant backdrop to the event.
The gathering underscored the urgency of peace talks, with mentions of a potential temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
A moving act of solidarity as veterans burn their uniforms at a vigil for Aaron Bushnell hosted by veterans against war. This was after some extremely moving speeches, including a Vietnam War veteran who was a part of the SDS and did a lot of anti-war organizing. pic.twitter.com/9iJzeDAk2a
— alissa azar (@AlissaAzar) February 29, 2024
The act of burning uniforms was not just a symbolic gesture but a deeply personal one, echoing Bushnell’s ultimate sacrifice.
Participants shared stories and reflections on the cost of war, highlighting 30,000 Palestinian casualties since the war’s onset.
Earlier on Tuesday, hundreds of people paid homage to Bushnell at a New York City vigil outside the US Army Recruiting Office in Times Square.
Under the bright lights of the digital billboards of Times Square and the unrelenting rain, protesters and observers huddled under umbrellas draped in keffiyehs and ponchos, held candles and chanted for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestine.
Protesters said they had come to show respect to Bushnell but also demand that no more lives are lost in the genocide.
Bushnell set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC on Sunday. Before his death, Bushnell posted a video where he explained why he had planned to do what he did.
“My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” he said. “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.”
Source: Website
