Horror as protester sets himself on fire outside White House

A protester who works in the media has lit himself on fire during an anti-Israel protest in the US, disturbing video shows.

A man tries to set himself on fire as people demonstrate to mark one year of the war between Hamas and Israel in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 5, 2024. (Photo by Ting Shen / AFP)

WARNING: GRAPHIC

A protester who works in the media lit himself on fire outside of the White House during an anti-Israel protest on Saturday evening, disturbing video shows.

The man, identified as photojournalist Samuel Mena Jr, can be seen screaming in pain after he set his left arm ablaze in the middle of the street as shocked police officers and bystanders rush over to help, according to one clip.

Mena holds his left arm – engulfed in flames – high in the air to show others as several people quickly douse him with water and beat out the flames with pieces of clothing, The New York Post reports.

He cries out that he is a journalist as he’s restrained by DC Metropolitan police officers, according to another clip posted by Free Beacon reporter Jessica Costescu after the fire had been extinguished.

The left sleeve of his burnt shirt appears drenched in liquid and pink, superficial burns can be seen on his bare arm.

One passer-by pours his bottle of water on the wound, video shows.

“We spread the misinformation,” Mena screams at one point in the video as a crowd gathers around him.

“I’m a journalist and I said it was okay,” he yells as a woman embraces him.

A white-shirt officer jumps into the scene and screams at onlookers to “back it up,” pushing some out of the way, the video shows before cutting out.

Police helping Mena. Picture: Ting Shen/AFP

Mena questioned the media’s objectivity in its coverage of the war in Gaza in a recent blog post. Picture: Ting Shen/AFP

In a lengthy blog posted to his website before the incident on Saturday, Mena questioned the media’s objectivity in its coverage of the war in Gaza.

“To the 10,000 children in Gaza that have lost a limb in this conflict, I give my left arm to you,” he wrote. “I pray my voice was able to raise up yours, and that your smiles never disappear.”

The journalist, a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, had spent the last two years working for local CBS affiliate AZFamily, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Mena lit himself on fire in the 800 block of 16th Street just outside of the White House around 5:45pm, according to the Washington DC Metropolitan Police.

He was taken to hospital. Picture: Jessica Costescu/X

DC Fire and EMS responded and transported the man to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, cops said.

“The District of Columbia has a long and proud history of peaceful first amendment activities and the Metropolitan Police Department handles hundreds of protests, demonstrations and other events every year,” the department said.

“We will continue to support those who choose to protest peaceful and safely, and we will continue to hold accountable those who commit criminal acts while in our city.”

Protesters descended on Washington DC around the White House on Saturday night ahead of the one-year anniversary of October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel killing some 1200 people – sparking the ongoing war in the region.

The protesters are demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where an estimated 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in the past year.

This story was originally published on The New York Post and was republished with permission.