Skip to content or view screen version

US-activist burns himself alive to protest Iraq war

mj | 21.11.2006 19:05 | Anti-militarism | World

Activist and artist Malachi Ritscher burns himself alive in Chicago in front of morning rush hour commuters to protest the war in Iraq.
From:  http://cleveland.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/23624.php

malachi ritscher
malachi ritscher



The press has almost completely blacked out this news in mainstream press .
A long time Chicago activist, artist and contributer to the Chicago jazz scene has burned himself alive in an act of protest against the iraq war. He is only one of 10 Americans in history to have done this .
Buddist monks did this during the VietNam war.
On Friday, November 3, a man doused his body with gasoline and set himself afire to protest the war in Iraq . He died quietly in flames. His name was Malachi Ritscher.

Haven't seen it in the news? Me neither, which is kind of strange if you ask me, considering that it happened right here in downtown Chicago in front of hundreds of commuters during morning rush hour. The only conventional newspaper coverage to date was a tiny paragraph that appeared in the Saturday edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. Since then...nothing.

His death must not be in vain please spread the word...Chicago activists are planning a protest for Malachi and against the war saturday Nov. 198 in Chicago to get this out into the mainstream news.



Malachi Ritscher/ Chicago activist burns himself alive in protest of war.
All Google links:
link to www.google.com



 http://www.iheardyoumalachi.org/story.html - Malichi's statement and site dedicated to keeping his story alive.

 http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/74933/index.php- Saturday demo for Malachi and against the war

Who Is Malachi?

 http://electroniciraq.net/news/printer2640.shtml by Nitsuh Abebe a thoughtful & well researched article: mental illness or form of protest
.
 http://www.savagesound.com/gallery100.htm Malachi will be missed in Chicago's jazz community.

Blog Lists:
 http://chicago.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/malachi_ritsche.phtml
-Peter Margasak's blog

 http://pieceoplastic.com/index.php/2634/malachi-ritscher-rip/

 http://chicago.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/malachi_ritsche.phtml

link to ajbenjaminjr.blogspot.com -a reasonably fair and balanced view of Malachi , his life and activism

 http://www.non-prophets.com'forum/viewtopic.php?t=34686 - a friend of Malachi's blogspot

Sites Malachi designed,maintained and contributed to:
 http://www.savagesound.com
 http://www.unwinnablewar.net
 http://www.killthepresident.net
 http://www.warwhores.us

mj

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

Re:US-activist burns himself alive to protest Iraq war

22.11.2006 00:05

I cannot see anything mentally ill about this protest. I would not advocate others doing this, but this is clearly a reaction to the mental illness of engaging in a war killing tens of thousands in Iraq - one estimate saying 655,000. Basically some people will not like to be connected to these destructive acts. Blair is basically a violent thug, cowardly ordering others to commit his violence on the Arabs.

Thank you for posting this. I would not have heard about this otherwise. I will not be buying my usual mainstream newspaper tomorrow.

Brian B

martyr

23.11.2006 10:41

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but this kind of victimhood/martyr-complex really pervades the left in general and the activist left in particular. I really don't see the point, and stuff like this soft-nationalist guilt complex (he did it "for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country") does hint at psychological problems (which isn't to stigmatise them, i've been depressed and pretty close to suicidal at times, but i don't base my politics on it).

Seriously this kind of tragedy is the logical consequence of a politics based on guilt and martyrdom, don't do it kids.

(A)