"Do you find him to be an idiot?" - UFC legend is puzzled by protester committing self-immolation outside Israeli embassy in Washington DC
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has reacted to the news of a U.S citizen setting himself ablaze in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.
A man named Aaron Bushnell, who was an active member of the U.S. Air Force poured gasoline over himself in front of the embassy and set himself on fire. Bushnell's act was reportedly a form of protest against the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Prior to the incident, the 25-year-old did a Twitch livestream where he explained the reasoning for his actions. He said:
"I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force. And I will no longer be complicit to genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at their hands of their colonizers—it's not extreme at all."
Former UFC athlete Chael Sonnen took notice of the news and shared his reaction to the incident. 'The American Gangster' raised a question as to whether the individual's actions were noble or idiotic, saying:
"Do you find that man to be noble or do you find him to be an idiot?"
Conor McGregor's coach and MMA personality John Kavanagh responded to Sonnen's tweet by saying:
"Mental illness."
Jake Shields issued a one-word response to Sonnen's question:
"Both."
Former UFC fighter Jake Shields reacts to Aaron Bushnell setting himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy
Former UFC athlete Jake Shields has been quite vocal about his opinions on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
After the news of Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation broke, the 45-year-old took to social media to weigh in on the incident.
Shields spoke about the 'intense' experience of watching the footage of Bushnell setting himself on fire. He then stated that he did not agree with the 25-year-old's actions but spoke about the courage behind his actions. He wrote:
"Watching Aaron Bushnell burn himself to death was pretty intense. He sets himself on fire and repeatedly yells free Palestine. As the pain becomes more extreme it gets harder but he never stops trying. I don’t agree with what he did but he saw the evils of Israel and actually had the courage to do something instead of just tweet about it like the majority of us."