Man Sets Arm on Fire During US March to Mark Gaza War Anniversary

The pro-Palestinian protest began and ended outside the White House in Washington, with demonstrators demanding an end to US aid to Israel - AFP
The pro-Palestinian protest began and ended outside the White House in Washington, with demonstrators demanding an end to US aid to Israel - AFP
TT
20

Man Sets Arm on Fire During US March to Mark Gaza War Anniversary

The pro-Palestinian protest began and ended outside the White House in Washington, with demonstrators demanding an end to US aid to Israel - AFP
The pro-Palestinian protest began and ended outside the White House in Washington, with demonstrators demanding an end to US aid to Israel - AFP

Thousands marched in US cities from Washington to Los Angeles on Saturday, demanding an immediate ceasefire as the war in Gaza nears the one-year mark, with a man attempting to self-immolate in protest.

In New York, pro-Palestine demonstrators walked in the city's Midtown neighbourhood, waving flags and holding signs.

"The US government has really shown what side of history it is on," Zaid Khatib, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told AFP.

"The US government has performed and co-signed the most evil atrocities that we've seen of this century."

Almost two hours into the protest, a man approached the demonstration site and attempted to set himself on fire, AFP journalists saw.

He succeeded in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police rushed to his aid, dousing him with water and extinguishing the flames using their keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves.

"I'm a journalist and we neglect it, we spread the misinformation," he shouted, in between screams of pain as the fire on his arm was put out.

Police said the man was being treated for "non-life threatening injuries."

Protesters waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags, among others, with many holding up signs and chanting in unison to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

In New York, thousands marched in the city's famed Times Square neighborhood, some carrying pictures of people killed by Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which has left much of the territory in rubble.

Among those marching was Cornel West, a prominent rights activist and an independent candidate running in the US presidential election.

"I'm here to forever be in solidarity with people undergoing a vicious genocide," he told AFP. "Dealing with ethnic cleansing it's getting worse, it's been a whole year now. You know, we got to keep fighting."

The United States is one of Israel's closest allies, providing billions in military assistance -- a subject that protesters in both cities focused on.

Police at the protest in Washington maintained a perimeter around the demonstration

"As an American we're tired of our tax money going to Israel to bomb kids in Palestine and then Lebanon," said Daniel Perez, a New York resident.

Protesters also took to the street in Los Angeles, many holding signs calling for an end to "genocide" in Gaza.

In Washington, protesters' cries for "justice" and "peace" reverberated off office buildings in downtown, with the crowd animated by a mix of righteous anger and raucous solidarity.

Laila, an American of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, told AFP the past year had left her disillusioned with her country's leaders -- so much so that she was unlikely to vote in November.

"It all disgusts me now," she said. "It's all a lie."



Global Displacement to Rise by 6.7 Million People by End of Next Year, Aid Group Says 

Displaced Palestinians take shelter in a tent camp set up at Palestine Stadium, which was damaged during the Israeli offensive, in Gaza City, March 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians take shelter in a tent camp set up at Palestine Stadium, which was damaged during the Israeli offensive, in Gaza City, March 11, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Global Displacement to Rise by 6.7 Million People by End of Next Year, Aid Group Says 

Displaced Palestinians take shelter in a tent camp set up at Palestine Stadium, which was damaged during the Israeli offensive, in Gaza City, March 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians take shelter in a tent camp set up at Palestine Stadium, which was damaged during the Israeli offensive, in Gaza City, March 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Some 6.7 million additional people are expected to be newly displaced around the world by the end of next year, the Danish Refugee Council said on Friday, just as aid cuts from key donors like the United States take effect.

The UN refugee agency said last year that the number of forcibly displaced people around the globe stood at over 117 million people and warned that number could rise.

"These are not cold statistics. These are families forced to flee their homes, carrying next to nothing, and searching for water, food, and shelter," said Charlotte Slente, secretary general of the Danish Refugee Council in a statement.

Twenty-seven countries account for nearly a third of all global displacements. The projection is based on an AI-driven model that predicts displacement trends by analyzing over 100 indicators, including factors such as security, politics and economics in those countries.

It forecasts that nearly a third of new displacements will be from Sudan, which is already the world's worst refugee crisis after nearly two years of war. Another 1.4 million people are expected to be forcibly displaced from Myanmar, the report said.

US President Donald Trump is cutting billions of dollars in foreign aid programs globally as part of a major spending overhaul by the world's biggest aid donor.

The Danish Refugee Council is one of the aid groups hit and has had more than 20 contract terminations.

Cuts from Washington and other key donors are already impacting refugees.

The UN refugee agency said that funding shortages had shuttered programs to protect adolescent girls from child marriage in South Sudan and a safe house for displaced women in danger of being killed in Ethiopia.

"Millions are facing starvation and displacement, and just as they need us most, wealthy nations are slashing aid. It's a betrayal of the most vulnerable," said Slente.