[chris]

She's a smart one

"The horrifying sight which traumatized shoppers and office workers in the centre of Luxembourg City last week has now been labelled as a protest against racism. The Belgian woman of Congolese origin who set herself alight in the middle of Place dArmes told witnesses that she More.. was doing it to protest against racism, moments before she carried out the desperate act which has left her in hospital fighting for her life.

Maggy Delvaux-Mufu, a mother of three in her forties, alerted several national newspapers late on Tuesday morning last week that she would be burning herself alive on place des Martyrs at 12.45 am, before setting out accompanied by her husband to walk through the centre of town to her macabre rendezvous. The police were alerted and officers were deployed to the Rousegrtchen.

But the woman changed her plan when she came across a group of journalists gathered to cover an event organised by the Mouvement cologique on Place dArmes, opposite the Cercle municipal. She soaked herself in petrol before confronting the members of the press, announcing that she was about to sacrifice her life to protest against racism. Moments later, she struck a match, turning herself into a human torch in front of hundreds of people.

Delvaux-Mufus husband and passers-by jumped on the burning body, attempting to stifle the flames with coats and jackets. The scene made several people feel unwell and many witnesses who filled the square at lunchtime were traumatised by the womans shrieking screams of unimaginable pain. The flames were already extinguished when police, rescue services and the fire brigade arrived at the scene. One person is reported to have vomited after seeing the woman being transported into an ambulance. The events in Place dArmes have also started a controversy regarding the authorities lack of psychological support for witnesses.

Delvaux-Mufu was taken to the Bon Secours hospital in Metz, where she is being treated in a specialised ward for burns and is fighting for her life. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the woman and her family at the hospital last week.

RTL television was the first to run a news flash about the incident on its website on Tuesday afternoon last week. 352 reported the bulletin in its news in brief section, shortly before going to print. Events preceding the incident only came to light later on in the week.

The 42-year-old Belgian citizen and her husband had been facing financial difficulties. They had recently indebted themselves by buying a Citron garage in Oberwampach, before realising they were missing the documents that would allow them to set up a business. Delvaux-Mufu wrote a letter to Le Jeudi recounting her story of bureaucratic difficulties and economic despair. Im against all forms of violence, but day after day, my family and I have to endure moral violence, discrimination, insults and much more from Mr Junckers administration, she said in the letter published last week.

Money problems had driven the woman to desperately plead her case at the Prime ministers office early on the same day of the incident. Her threat to burn herself alive on Place des Martyrs after being turned away by the authorities caused government officials to contact the police. A city-wide search was organised, but nobody could foresee the woman would change her plans."

[itsjustme2]

I would like to believe this was not on purpose. the man in the last photo, in trying to save her life, was probably burned significantly too.

[stevus_maximus]

Burn, baby burn, disco inferno!

[smacky]

what's with the guy in the 3rd pic? O.o is fire contagious?

[chris]

The picture info said that she was protesting something, should have let her burn

[Hatebreeder]

If this was not on purpose, wtf happened? O_o

[laurent2005]

holy shit
i'm from luxembourg but i never heard about this incident before
may i ask where you got it and do you know the time of when the picture was taken?
ty

oh by the way if you want to know the exact location i can tell you^^
it's the "place d'armes" in the capital of luxembourg

[chris]

well doing some research I found some more info there at top, but still didn't get a date

[GODREKR]

She should have taken off her clothes immediately after catching on fire. Her clothes were obviously highly flamable. I wonder if she was protesting slavery. Look at the guy with the huge chain behind her. I think he changed his mind.

[Hatebreeder]

Ah, should have read the text first.