The act of self-immolation is so terrifying that we have to immediately gloss over it.
There was a confirmed self-immolation at Parliament, one in 2017…
Coroner reports on Zdenek Hanzlik who set himself on fire at Parliament
A man who fatally set himself on fire at Parliament was protesting against “perceived injustices” in the Family Court, the coroner has ruled.
Zdenek “Sid” Hanzlik, 60, died in Wellington Hospital after setting himself on fire at Parliament on September 21 2017.
In inquest findings released today Coroner Peter Ryan ruled the Rotorua man’s death a suicide.
Ryan’s report says that Hanzlik was seen in the grounds of Parliament holding placards in an apparent protest at injustices in the Family Court.
…and one that possibly happened over the weekend…
Man in his 50s dies after fire on Parliament grounds
Police have confirmed a person who died after a fire on Parliament grounds over the weekend was a man in his 50s.
Emergency services were called to Parliament grounds in Wellington before 8am on Sunday.
At the scene, a park bench was smouldering and a person was being treated by paramedics.
He later died.
…we must never talk about their grievance, we must never mention it and we must never discuss it.
The fear is that the vast ocean of damaged male pain that passes as modern culture would suddenly explode on Parliament’s grounds each and every day if these cases were given any focus in NZ.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for a country in as much denial as much is NZ, if everyone wanting to commit suicide did it on Parliament grounds.
NZ would be forced to confront that agony then.
Martyn – Well spotted…bloody sad.
With 1500 kicked off benefits in the last few months with no redress or hope left, i suspect this is one of many in the next few years. Although, most will not make the news at all.
We should have a full report over that 50 year old man. We hear endless sentimental weepies over others whom one feels sorry for but many aren’t appropriate to fill a newspaper page with. Silence is unusual. There needs to be a small obituary for such people. And do we know that it was self-inflicted?
So much sympathy for men who want a right to be women, so little sympathy for men to exercise their right to be Dad.
How do we know this man set fire to himself .Maybe some arsehole with a grudge against homeless people set him on fire while he was sleeping .Easy to just refer to coroner who will report in 2 years at the earliest .In the meantime the perp walks around happy that they have done their bit to fix the homeless situation .
Recent reports suggest the reasons behind this latest tragedy were financial rather than some sort of fallout from culture wars.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/525171/dan-hone-died-outside-parliament-after-fight-to-avoid-forced-sale-of-mother-s-wellington-home
Looks very much like a tragedy, caused at least in part by high interest rates and inflexible banks. They had over a million in equity. The bank could have refinanced their loan to take care of the arrears. What would they have to lose other than a plum mortgagee sale they can earn massive extra fees on. If it all turned to shit after that well.. it probably wouldn’t have as they said they just wanted time to sell it for a fair price. But if it did, they wouldn’t lose anything.
I knew Dan Hone very well, he was my partner for many years, and we have a child together, Dan Hone protested with self-immolation. His protest at Parliament was nothing to do with a bank dispute, Dan’s Protest was about the New Zealand Government. It was about NZ Government’s decisions that have contributed to inflation and the cost-of-living crisis and the ultimate loss of trust and faith for the NZ Government, that Dan and many other kiwis experienced. Dan Hone’s self-immolation at Parliament was not just about himself, he was protesting on behalf of anyone who has been impacted, he did it for the people