Man on Fire: A Protester’s Extreme Act of Defiance in the Heart of Manhattan

In Lower Manhattan, New York City, a thirty-seven-year-old man set himself on fire in front of the courthouse where Donald Trump’s criminal trial is being held. The incident happened shortly after 1:30 pm (7:30 pm in Italy) in a park outside the building. Azzarello, who described himself as a conspiracy theorist and investigative researcher, had been engulfed in flames when he was quickly extinguished by dozens of officers patrolling the area. He was then taken away by ambulance.

Azzarello had published an online message stating that he planned to set himself on fire outside the Trump trial as an extreme act of protest. He claimed that this urgent discovery was proof of a totalitarian swindler and that their government was planning an apocalyptic and fascist global coup. His message provided a link for people to discover “the rotten truth of post-truth America” and warned them that they were in a desperate emergency situation that required immediate action. Despite apologizing to his friends, family, witnesses, and rescue workers for any pain he may have caused them, Azzarello stated that his act was an act of revolution. His message suggested that the government’s intentions were far worse than any harm he could inflict on them, urging others to take action based on these truths.