A CBS News photojournalist, Samuel Mena, set himself on fire at a pro-Palestinian rally near the White House on Saturday in protest of media coverage of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In a blog post published before the incident, Mena criticised the media for spreading “misinformation” and downplaying the civilian toll in Gaza.
Video footage from the protest shows Mena igniting his left arm before bystanders and police intervened, using water and a Palestinian keffiyeh to extinguish the flames. Witnesses reported Mena shouting, “We spread the misinformation” and “I’m a journalist and I said it was okay.”
Mena, a photojournalist with CBS affiliate KTVK/KPHO in Arizona, was not on duty at the time, and the network has since stated that he will be dismissed for violating its objectivity and neutrality policies. In his blog, Mena expressed frustration with having to frame the Gaza conflict as a battle between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing the civilian casualties, particularly children, that have resulted from the violence.
“To the ten thousand children in Gaza that have lost a limb in this conflict, I give my left arm to you,” Mena wrote in his post.
His injuries were described as minor, and he was taken to the hospital for treatment. The protest took place almost a year after a similar self-immolation by an Air Force member, Aaron Bushnell, outside the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C., where he protested U.S. support for Israel.
Identified as Samuel Mena Jr, he was captured on video lightning his left arm on fire, before protesters and police rushed to help him. pic.twitter.com/ZM4EKsaDS4
— ALBERTO GARCÍA TV (YouTube)⏬💥 (@ALBERTOJOSEGAR4) October 6, 2024
BREAKING: A man attempted to self immolate in front of the White House pic.twitter.com/IF8YAaRbij
— Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) October 5, 2024
