Anti-Israel protester attempts to self-immolate outside White House

An anti-Israel protester has attempted to set himself on fire during a rally near the White House in Washington, DC.

Almost two hours after the protest began, with over 1,000 demonstrators in attendance, a man — named online as Samuel Mena — approached the demonstration site and attempted to set himself on fire, AFP journalists have seen.

He succeeds in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police rush to his aid, dousing him with water and extinguishing the flames using their keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves.

“I’m a journalist and we neglect it, we spread the misinformation,” he shouts, in between screams of pain as the fire on his arm is put out.

Police say the man is being treated for “non-life threatening injuries.”

Journalist Samuel Mena self-immolated today by lighting his left arm on fire during a protest for Palestine outside of the White House on 16th Street at Freedom Plaza. Police doused him with water and successfully extinguished the flames. He was taken away in an ambulance shortly… pic.twitter.com/fK7g3ZLfaW

— Kaitlin Newman (@KaitlinObscura) October 6, 2024