Mace, Spider-Man, Arrests: How Jake Lang’s Minnesota Rally Quickly Escalated

Before he became a fixture at Minneapolis protests, Jake Lang was known nationally for something else. He spent nearly four years in federal custody awaiting trial for his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol attack, where prosecutors said he assaulted officers and Lang claimed self-defense.

He was never convicted, and in January 2025 he was pardoned as part of the sweeping clemency for January 6 defendants.

Since his release, the far-right influencer has built a following online, promoted a self-styled "national constitutional militia," and launched a 2026 U.S. Senate bid in Florida. He has also become a traveling provocateur, staging anti-Muslim events that critics and researchers describe as designed to inflame.

The tone of those events is rarely subtle. In the weeks before his latest Minneapolis appearance, Lang advertised the demonstration using flyers that featured explicit racial slurs and billed it as a "slur march," and he publicly claimed he intended to show up in blackface. That framing is central to understanding why the gatherings draw such fierce pushback.

Minnesota has seen this before. Lang first tried an anti-Muslim rally at City Hall on January 18, when he was chased off by counter-protesters. His profile in the Twin Cities grew during Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement push that gripped the region and drew sustained protest across communities throughout Minnesota.

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It was during that period, in February, that Lang posted video of himself destroying a "Prosecute ICE" sculpture outside the State Capitol, shouting his support for federal agents. He was arrested on February 5 and charged with criminal damage to property over roughly $6,000 in damage. His return trips, in other words, have a pattern.

Demonstration Quickly Escalates, Leading To 11 Arrests

Lang came back to City Hall on Saturday, August 22, in a caravan of vehicles – including a flat-bed displaying a sign saying “Jake Lang loves black people but hates [N-words]”, and within about ten minutes the scene unraveled as he was surrounded by counter-protesters, and Lang’s group was seen deploying pepper spray towards the crowd.

According to police, his group drove two vehicles onto the sidewalk in front of City Hall and rolled slowly toward a crowd of more than 100 counter-protesters.

The confrontation was immediate: someone in a Spider-Man costume even climbed onto Lang's truck to fight him, and water balloons, bottles and glitter flew.

Police say mace was ultimately deployed by people on both sides, including a man dressed to resemble law enforcement who was working with Lang's group.

The Aftermath

When it was over, officers had impounded both vehicles and arrested 11 people — including Lang and six other associates, including fellow right-wing activist Jayden Scott, 23, of Michigan, who was also in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge.

The Spider-Man was also arrested and is scheduled to appear in court Friday, September 4 at 1:15 p.m. at the Hennepin County Courthouse. Supporters are calling on the community to pack the courtroom and stand with Spidey.

All were arrested on suspicion of probable-cause riot, plus four more on disorderly conduct and assault allegations near City Hall.

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Three officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries; one was hospitalized and released. Lang was booked into the Hennepin County Jail.

However chaotic the footage looked, city officials framed their response as restraint. Mayor Jacob Frey and Minneapolis police said they prioritized de-escalation, choosing to direct the vehicles out of the area rather than wade into a packed crowd to make arrests on the spot.

Supporters of the counter-protest say their large turnout was the point — that showing up in numbers denies these events the reaction they're built to provoke.

That sentiment was summed up by Jay Yates, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, who offered a line that captures why so many turned out. "I'm not afraid of a white supremacist, and nobody else should be either," Yates said, "because they thrive on that fear."