Professors at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) medical school glorified an Air Force enlisted serviceman who lit himself on fire in leaked audio, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Drs. Ragda Izar and Afaf Moustafa made the remarks praising Aaron Bushnell’s February self-immolation protest during an April 2 event from UCLA’s Health Ethics Center and the school’s diversity department, according to the Free Beacon. During the event Izar also referred to Israel as “indigenous Palestine” and painted his action as warranted by the “level of carnage” in Gaza.
“Yes, he carried a lot of distress,” Izar said, according to audio recordings posted on YouTube. “But does that mean the actions he engaged in are any less valid?”
LISTEN:
The two doctors also appeared to cross some ethical lines, according to experts who talked to the Free Beacon.
“Psychiatry pathologizes non-pathological … reactions to a pathological environment or pathological society,” Moustafa said, according to the Free Beacon. “It’s considered illness to choose to die in protest of the violence of war but perfectly sane to choose to die in service of the violence of war.”
“For mental health professionals to encourage removing the stigma is reckless,” psychiatrist Elliot Kaminetzky told the Free Beacon when asked about the glorification of Bushnell’s actions.
Hamas carried out a deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages. The attack prompted an Israeli response that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed would “echo for generations.”
Pro-Hamas statements have not been uncommon at colleges across the country. Some demonstrations across the United States and around the world featured speakers praising Hamas for the attack. Chants of “from the river to the sea,” a slogan which has connotations of wiping out Israel, have taken place during some protests.
UCLA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
