Protester sets self on fire outside Israel consulate

A security guard who tried to stop the self-immolation suffered burns.

Agence France-Presse·3 December 2023, 12:20 am·1 min read

Text size

Protester sets self on fire outside Israel consulate — A picture of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon burns on Taksim Square, on June 2, 2010 in Istanbul during a protest against Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on May 31. Angry demonstrations continued across Turkey for a third day today as protesters gathered outside the Israeli ambassador's residence in Ankara and several civic bodies laid black wreaths at the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo by Bulent KILIC / AFP)

A protester outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, Georgia, United States was in critical condition Friday after figuring in a self-immolation while a security guard who tried to stop the person also suffered burns.

Darin Schierbaum, police chief of the southern US city, said the incident at 1100 Spring Street was "likely an extreme act of political protest."

"A Palestinian flag was reported at the location and was part of the protest," according to Schierbaum.

"This department is aware of the tensions that are present right now in the Jewish community and in the Muslim community," he also said during an afternoon news conference, referring to the numerous protests in Atlanta and across the nation regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas terrorists, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Schierbaum said the arson does not have connections to terrorism and that the surrounding community is safe, according to the AJC report.

The protester and security guard suffered burns, Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith told journalists.

He did not specify the age or gender of the protester.

"The security guard noticed that the individual was attempting to set themselves afire" shortly after the protester arrived outside the consulate building around noon, Smith said.

The guard "immediately attempted but failed to stop the individual."

The guard was burned on his wrist and leg, Smith said, while the protester was in critical condition with "full thickness" burns to their body.

Both were taken to the hospital, he added.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Israeli consulate said it was "saddened" to hear about the incident, which they called a "horrific" way to express their position toward Israel, 11 Alive reported.

"Our prayers are with the security officer who was injured while trying to prevent this tragic act. We are grateful to the city of Atlanta's law enforcement and first responders for all they do to ensure safety," Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon said, according to 11 Alive.

The US has seen an uptick in anti-Semitic, anti-Arab and Islamophobic threats and violence since the start of Israel's war with Hamas terrorists in Gaza in October.

Earlier this week a US man was charged with attempted murder over the shooting of three men of Palestinian descent in Vermont state, and a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death in Illinois in October.