US Airman Who Set Self On Fire Had Anarchist Past

The Washington Post reports:

Less than two weeks before Aaron Bushnell walked toward the gates of the Israeli Embassy on Sunday, he and a friend talked by phone about their shared identities as anarchists and what kinds of risks and sacrifices were needed to be effective. Bushnell was raised in a religious compound in Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod, according to Susan Wilkins, 59, who said she was a member of the group from 1970 to 2005.

The group, called the Community of Jesus, has faced allegations of inappropriate behavior, which it has publicly disputed. In a lawsuit against an Ontario school, where many officials were alleged to be members of the U.S.-based religious group, former students called the Community of Jesus a “charismatic sect” and alleged that it “created an environment of control, intimidation and humiliation that fostered and inflicted enduring harms on its students.”

Read the full article. There’s much more. Gift link here.

Airman who set self on fire grew up on religious compound, had anarchist past.

A LOT of new details here about what happened outside of the Israeli Embassy on Sunday, including Aaron Bushnell’s final texts to his friends.

With @phscoop @DanLamothe:https://t.co/3KWxqFzroC

— Emily Davies (@ELaserDavies) February 27, 2024