One year ago today, Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire at the gate of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC as an act of protest against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

The scale of the tragedy in Gaza exceeds anything we can understand from the United States. Aaron was determined not to passively accept it.

Today, in Aaron's memory, let us pledge ourselves once more to solidarity with Palestinians—to fight against genocide, ethnic cleansing, and all forms of colonialism.

In this memorial, we share Aaron’s summary of his anarchist politics, with testimony from his friends.

crimethinc.com/AaronMemories

In Aaron's own words:

"I am an anarchist, which means I believe in the abolition of all hierarchical power structures, especially capitalism and the state… I believe that any hierarchical power structure is bound to reproduce class dynamics and oppression. Thus, I want to engage in egalitarian forms of organizing that produce horizontal power structures based on mutual aid and solidarity."

In the words of one of Aaron's friends,

"Aaron has permanently changed the fabric of your being. You know this because for the rest of your life, you will wrestle with the thought of what you will sacrifice for the liberation of others."