Man sets himself on fire in downtown D.C. during pro-Palestinian rally

“Oh, my God, please don’t hurt yourself!” one rallygoer yelled.

More police ran over to help as the man screamed in pain. Others at the rally also ran toward him, using their own kaffiyehs to try to quell the fire as a police officer behind him dumped a water bottle onto his arm.

Once his left arm was no longer ablaze, the man claimed that he was a journalist spreading misinformation. A microphone had been left on the street next to where he set himself on fire.

Officers moved the man away and blocked off the area and the situation quickly de-escalated. Officers yelled for protesters to back up while rally organizers used a megaphone to direct the crowd away from police. The man was taken to a hospital by D.C. Fire and EMS and treated for injuries that are not life-threatening, Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a statement.

By around 6:30 p.m., demonstrators began to march and eventually turned on K Street, where they stopped to protest in front of The Washington Post before heading down 13th Street NW.

Initially numbering in the hundreds, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered earlier in the day in front of the White House as part of an international day of action that they described as marking “one year of genocide” and “one year of resistance.” Around 4 p.m., roughly 1,000 people marched out of Lafayette Square and onto H Street NW by the intersection of Black Lives Matter Plaza and blocked the street. Some held banners that read “FREE PALESTINE” and signs that demanded an arms embargo on Israel, while others waved Palestinian flags.

They chanted in call and response: “We want justice you say how / end the occupation now” and “Even with the bombs you drop / our resistance never stops.”

The rally comes two days before the first anniversary of an attack in which Hamas militants poured across the Israeli border from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 others hostage, and prompting a major military response from Israel. On Saturday, those gathering mourned the tens of thousands of people subsequently killed in Gaza, as well as the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe after a year of nearly continuous fighting. Roughly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent assault on Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Israel has denied that it is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. The conflict in the Middle East has intensified after Israel’s escalating military offensive in Lebanon, including the recent assassination of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah.

Many of the protesters milling about Lafayette Square before the march wore kaffiyehs. Others donned black, white, red or green in a nod to the Palestinian flag. Among them was Anyssa Dhaouadi, a member of the DMV chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement. Dhaouadi said she grew up wearing a kaffiyeh as part of her Arab culture, but seeing people from other cultures adopt the garment in a show of solidarity has been inspiring.

“Traditionally the kaffiyeh is the symbol for unity across the Arab region,” she said. “And now, especially in the last year, we’ve seen every community drape themselves in the kaffiyeh to show that same level of strength and unity. It’s genuinely such a beautiful sight to see.”

Dhaouadi said that she has been protesting with her family since she was 5 years old, adding that she felt her heritage charged her with a duty to advocate against violence in the Middle East. She said seeing names in the lists of casualties and recognizing them from her culture has made the war feel personal.

“I’ve seen the endless lists of martyrs that is constantly updated and published — they share the same names as I do. They share the names of my friends and my family,” she said. “To know that my tax dollars are complicit is the most personal issue there could be.”

For much of the afternoon, demonstrators rallied peacefully on H Street. They emphasized that rallying was the least they could do to bring attention to those dying and suffering in Gaza and Lebanon and spoke of successes like the student encampment movement in the spring, the recent legal success by the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of Maryland, and what they see as growing awareness and support of the Palestinian cause.

Ismail Obeidallah, 74, stood near the corner of H Street and Black Lives Matter Plaza and shared memories of his childhood growing up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

He remembered the road blocks, interrogations and how difficult it was to travel between his home in Bethlehem to other towns. “It was very tough, brutal,” he said.

In 1970, Obeidallah moved to New Jersey and later earned his master’s degree from the University of Maryland at College Park in environmental management and sustainability. His two brothers and three sisters and their children and grandchildren are still in the West Bank, and Obeidallah worries for their safety amid the intensifying conflict.

Near him, his three grandchildren, ages 2, 4 and 6, played with Palestinian flags while he held a sign with the Arabic word “hubb,” meaning “love.”

“It pains me to see that innocent civilians, women and children the age of my grandchildren that are slaughtered and killed unnecessarily by the Israeli army,” he said. “We just hope for immediate and lasting cease-fire and hope for peace that will spread to all people: Palestinians, Jews Arabs, Muslims and Christians.”

The demonstration ended back in Lafayette Square around 8:30 p.m.

Many Jewish organizations are hosting vigils and remembrance events Monday, bringing people together to mourn those who died on Oct. 7 and pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages.