Conservative Influencer Jake Lang Met with Thousands of Counter-Protesters in Minneapolis
Ducking and holding his bleeding head, conservative influencer Jake Lang left the “March Against Minnesota Fraud” protest he organized Saturday afternoon at Minneapolis City Hall with hundreds of counter-protesters following him. The event, which was intended to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and call for the arrest of Gov. Tim Walz, was met with a significant show of opposition.
Lang, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida, had announced on X that thousands of people would be attending the march as “Christian Crusaders.” However, reports from the scene indicated that less than a dozen supporters for Lang were present, while an estimated 2,000 counter-protesters showed up to express their opposition. Lang was convicted of assaulting a police officer with a baseball bat in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, and spent four years in a federal jail before he was pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Violence and Confrontation at the Protest
When Lang first tried to make his way through the crowds to get to City Hall on Saturday, two to three men repeatedly punched him and his supporters. Once he was at City Hall, counter-protesters shouted and drowned out his words, threw snowballs at him and sprayed him with water. The situation escalated, with Lang being hit in the face with water and later punched in the back of the head as he was escorted into a hotel a few blocks away.
According to eyewitnesses and video footage, the counter-protesters were vocal in their opposition to Lang and his message. Some held up signs, including ones that read “We love our Muslim neighbors” and “White supremacy not welcome here.” Others engaged in confrontations with Lang and his supporters, with some attempting to punch or spray them with water.
Aftermath and Reaction
Less than an hour after the 1 p.m. protest, Lang, supported by two men holding his arms as he held his head, made his way through the crowd of counter-protesters. After he ran inside an open door of the hotel, people held up a Quran, the Muslim holy book, that Lang had threatened to burn on the steps of City Hall and the tactical vest he had been wearing. The incident highlights the deep divisions and tensions present in the current social and political landscape.
For more information on this event, please visit Here
-
Conservative influencer Jake Lang is hit in the face with water as he and fewer than a dozen followers are met with thousands of counter-protesters in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
