• Source:JND
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As thousands of protesters marched across the United States on Saturday, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war, a shocking incident unfolded in Washington, DC, when a protester attempted to set himself on fire outside the White House. The man, identified as photojournalist Samuel Mena Jr, ignited his left arm during the demonstration before bystanders and police intervened to extinguish the flames.

Samuel Mena, who reportedly works for a CBS affiliate, set his arm ablaze while shouting about the media’s role in the Gaza conflict. "I'm a CBS-affiliated journalist and we spread misinformation," he yelled in between cries of pain as onlookers doused him with water and used Palestinian keffiyeh scarves to smother the fire. 

One video circulating online showed the journalist’s arm soaked in liquid, with visible burns, as a passerby poured water on his wound.  The incident left Mena with non-life-threatening injuries, and he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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The Metropolitan Police Department later released a statement, reaffirming its commitment to supporting peaceful protests while stating that criminal acts would not be tolerated. 

Before the protest, Samuel Mena reportedly had posted a blog criticising the media’s objectivity in covering the Gaza conflict. He dedicated the protest to the 10,000 children in Gaza who had lost limbs in the ongoing war, offering his left arm as a symbolic gesture of solidarity.

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The protest outside the White House was part of a larger global movement, with thousands of demonstrators in cities across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas demanding an end to the violence. Protesters condemned Israeli military actions, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians in the past year while calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.