Self-immolation is the act of lighting yourself on fire. This has been used for protests around the world. On February 25th of this year, Aaron Bushnell, an active member of the U.S. Air Force, died after lighting himself on fire outside of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. He did this to protest America’s involvement in the Palestine-Israel war. 

One of the first examples of self-immolation as a protest was when a Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, lit himself on fire. He did this in the streets of Saigon to protest the treatment of Buddhists by the Southern Vietnamese government. In recent years, about 159 Tibetans have lit themselves on fire to protest China’s rule over Tibet. In 2022, an American climate activist lit himself on fire in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Another incident in 2018 involved a well-known environmental activist, David S. Buckel, who set himself on fire outside a park. He did this to protest the excessive use of fossil fuels. 

People use self-immolation for a variety of reasons; it can be used for political or religious reasons. It is seen as one of the most extreme forms of protest. How effective is self-immolation? The purpose of doing this is to shock people and make them wonder what would make you do such a terrible thing. Since many different stories of self-immolation are out there, it stands to reason that self-immolation brings awareness to the causes they are protesting.