US journalist self-immolates at pro-Palestinian rally
A CBS News reporter ignited his arm in proximity to the White House, stating that the American media is complicit in the deaths of children in Gaza. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
A CBS News journalist set himself on fire during a pro-Palestinian protest near the White House on Saturday. In a blog post written prior to the incident, he stated that he was self-immolating to protest media “misinformation” regarding Israel’s war in Gaza.
Footage shared on social media captured the moment he ignited his left arm, prompting police officers and bystanders to rush in and extinguish the flames using water and a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh headdress.
“We spread the misinformation,” he screamed afterwards, followed by “I’m a journalist and I said it was okay.”
The individual was identified as Samuel Mena, a photojournalist affiliated with CBS station KTVK/KPHO in Arizona. The network clarified that Mena was “off duty and not in Washington on station business” at the time of the event and indicated that he would be terminated for violating company policy on “objectivity and neutrality.”
In his extensive blog post published before the act, Mena expressed frustration over describing the Gaza conflict as merely a struggle between Israel and Hamas, particularly when many of the casualties were civilians.
“How many Palestinians were killed that I allowed to be branded as Hamas? How many men, women, and children were struck with a missile cosigned by the American media?” he pondered.
“To the ten thousand children in Gaza that have lost a limb in this conflict, I give my left arm to you,” he concluded.
Although his injuries did not appear severe in the footage, police later reported that he was transported to the hospital and treated for minor burns.
This event occurred eight months after Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force, self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., in protest of American support for Israel. Bushnell doused himself in flammable liquid and shouted “Free Palestine” as he ignited himself. Authorities extinguished the fire, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries later that day.
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, during which the Palestinian militants killed around 1,100 people and took roughly 250 hostages back to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, and reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry indicate that nearly 42,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have died as a result of nearly a year of aerial bombardment and ground operations.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Footage shared on social media captured the moment he ignited his left arm, prompting police officers and bystanders to rush in and extinguish the flames using water and a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh headdress.
“We spread the misinformation,” he screamed afterwards, followed by “I’m a journalist and I said it was okay.”
The individual was identified as Samuel Mena, a photojournalist affiliated with CBS station KTVK/KPHO in Arizona. The network clarified that Mena was “off duty and not in Washington on station business” at the time of the event and indicated that he would be terminated for violating company policy on “objectivity and neutrality.”
In his extensive blog post published before the act, Mena expressed frustration over describing the Gaza conflict as merely a struggle between Israel and Hamas, particularly when many of the casualties were civilians.
“How many Palestinians were killed that I allowed to be branded as Hamas? How many men, women, and children were struck with a missile cosigned by the American media?” he pondered.
“To the ten thousand children in Gaza that have lost a limb in this conflict, I give my left arm to you,” he concluded.
Although his injuries did not appear severe in the footage, police later reported that he was transported to the hospital and treated for minor burns.
This event occurred eight months after Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force, self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., in protest of American support for Israel. Bushnell doused himself in flammable liquid and shouted “Free Palestine” as he ignited himself. Authorities extinguished the fire, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries later that day.
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, during which the Palestinian militants killed around 1,100 people and took roughly 250 hostages back to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, and reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry indicate that nearly 42,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have died as a result of nearly a year of aerial bombardment and ground operations.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
