A screenshot of a Reddit post from Aaron Bushnell saying that “Palestine will be free when all the Jews are dead” is circulating online, though its credibility is currently in question.
Bushnell, a U.S. Air Force soldier, set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in protest of the U.S.’s support of Israel in its war against Hamas. Bushnell died on Monday.
The Daily Dot found Reddit posts and comments from Bushnell that show he was vehemently anti-police and anti-military despite serving. He also combatted the notion that all Palestinians support Hamas and tried to refute arguments that Hamas’ actions are equivalent to those of Nazis.
Reddit posts and comments from the account u/acebush1 began circulating after the username was identified as that of Bushnell on the subreddit, r/DeadRedditors.
“U/acebush1 died after setting himself on fire for Palestine,” a redditor posted in the forum. “If you heard the news about that incident, this is that guy’s reddit account. RIP.”
Many of Bushnell’s posts appear to have been quickly removed today by Reddit and moderators of subreddits in which Bushnell was active. However, screenshots, some legitimate and some dubious, began circulating on X
One user posted two screenshots of comments that look to be from Bushnell’s Reddit account, u/acebush1, yesterday that show him saying “Palestine will be free when all the Jews are dead” and a longer explanation of his feelings about Israeli’s complicity in the casualties in Gaza.
The Daily Dot reviewed an archive of Bushnell’s comments on Reddit and confirmed some of the screenshots circulating, but could not independently confirm the “Palestine will be free when all the Jews are dead” line.
Regardless, the screenshot is being picked up and shared online.
“Aaron Bushnell, hero of Palestine,” user @Jewlicious tweeted.
“Guess Aaron Bushnell’s plan backfired,” tweeted Michael Gruen.
But some have decried the now viral screenshot as fake and disinformation, including independent journalist Michael Tracey who is known for his controversial presence on X.
“There’s a faked screenshot going around of something Aaron Bushnell supposedly said on Reddit,” Tracey tweeted. “Instead of contending with his actually-stated views, certain people prefer to fabricate evidence of him being a rabid Jew hater.”
There's a faked screenshot going around of something Aaron Bushnell supposedly said on Reddit. But, again, it's fake. Instead of contending with his actually-stated views, certain people prefer to fabricate evidence of him being a rabid Jew hater. Very original tactic pic.twitter.com/aBjcSCBwdC
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 28, 2024
Other comments that do remain on an archived channel of Bushnell’s confirm his views on Israel.
“There are no Israeli ‘civilians’ or tourists who have no part in the oppression of Palestine,” a post from Bushnell stated. “Israel is a settler colonialist apartheid state… There are no Israelis without the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
Though most of Bushnell’s Reddit posts and comments have been removed since his death, those that remain give insight into his beliefs about the U.S. military—of which he was a part—and Palestinians.
“The cops are the domestic military and the military is the international police,” Bushnell commented a month ago. “They are bad for the exact same reasons: their job is to enforce the will of the ruling class with violence.”
Bushnell also said that “all military are bad” with regard to an Air Force general being forced to retire after being convicted of sexual abuse, and posted in support of Stop Cop City, a protest movement against the building on of a police and military facility in Atlanta, Georgia.
In a comment about the Palestinian people, Bushnell refuted a post calling Palestinian resistance “a psychotic religious Islamist death cult that want to start a second Holocaust and finish the work of Adolf Hitler.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution that said opposing Israel is antisemitic, but the notion is hotly contested especially among those in support of Palestine.
“Why do you frame an entire colonized people the way that imperial powers tell you to? It is so racist,” Bushnell wrote. “Wake up and learn about the reality of the Palestinian struggle. Don’t fucking sit here in the imperial core calling Palestinians Hamas and Hamas Nazis.”
Since the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, an estimated 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. An estimated 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas’ initial attack.
