In a horrific scene resembling the Tibetan self-immolation protests of Buddhist monks following Chinese occupation, an Australian man has doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire in protest of the Australian government’s authoritarian COVID restrictions.
According to the Herald Sun, a local Victoria newspaper, the man chose to commit his sacrificial act on New Year’s Day.
Witness reports further confirm that the man was screaming lamentations over the Australian government and vaccine passports before committing the act and appeared to be heavily intoxicated.
“His skin was burning; he was on fire,” one woman said. “His skin is stuck to (my) shirt… He was off his face screaming about the mandates.”
Man sets himself on fire in #Melbourne over #VaccineMandates. pic.twitter.com/kbdbYlqzhQ
— XYZ (@itsyourxyz) January 1, 2022
“He poured gas on himself and on his car. It was on purpose,” another witness said.
“He was screaming about mandates. He was screaming: no vax ID and throwing books.”
“I will never erase his wailing in pain from his burns from my ears,” a third witness said.
A #Victorian man set himself on fire inside his car while screaming about #COVID19 vaccine mandates.
Shocked bystanders pinned down the man as police and firefighters doused him with water and rushed him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries#auspol #Melbourne #victoria pic.twitter.com/gfcZpx9f9h
— 5 News Australia (@5NewsAustralia) January 1, 2022
Following the incident, firefighters rushed to put out the fire before paramedics took him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police, then, quickly sectioned off the street where the man self-immolated.
As of the publication of this article, Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has said nothing about the incident or the situation created in Australia that could potentially inspire such actions.
