WASHINGTON — An anti-Trump California citizen lit himself on fire as an act of defiance against the forthcoming American president outside of Trump International Hotel in Northwest D.C. around 9:00 p.m. and ended up hospitalized.
After anti-Trump activists were granted permits by the National Park Service to rally against Trump in the days leading up to his inauguration on Jan. 20, hotel employees frantically contacted the police resulting in D.C. Fire responding to a call regarding a man attempting to set his body on fire with a lighter and an accelerant in the midst of protesting. The small fire was quickly fizzled away and the man was rushed to the hospital and is reportedly recovering from third-degree burns. No further injuries have been reported in regards to by-standing protesters.
While the man’s motives are unclear, a few Twitter users claim his actions were carried out with the intent to self-harm rather than fight for justice.
Fire dept puts out fire where man self immolation in front of Trump Hotel DC. He put fire out himself before walking to police. pic.twitter.com/10g5SKXiUJ
— Michael Shoag (@MikeShoag) January 18, 2017
The man explains his actions as “an act of protesting the fact that we’ve elected somebody who is completely incapable of respecting the Constitution of the United States.”
#BREAKING: Man lights fire near #TrumpInternationalHotel. Employees call police. Man told me he’s from CA & protesting #TrumpInauguration pic.twitter.com/noUwttKRL5
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) January 18, 2017
Meanwhile a local security officer makes light of the situation and instead describes the citizen’s actions as “a YouTube stunt gone wrong.”
The context of the situation has occurred in recent events of tens of thousands of American citizens preparing themselves to fight injustice and march the streets of Washington D.C. in hopes to exercise their right of freedom of speech and openly display their opposition to the newly elected president. According to USA Today, over 26 protest groups have been granted permits which is more than four times the average amount in past inaugurations; the heavy amounts of animosity and deep tensions within frustrated citizens are blatantly clear. Footage of protests occurring before the fire incident has been documented, but a correlation with the fiery event and recent protests is undetermined at the moment as the man’s actions were committed independently. While as a nation we fight for equality, remember to be cautious and stay safe in lieu of tackling oppression with violence.
HAPPENING NOW: Protest outside of #Trump International Hotel in D.C. pic.twitter.com/GzLiOhTfiV
— Robert Way (@iamrobertway) January 17, 2017
