What should have been a peaceful Diwali celebration on Saturday in Washington's Seattle quickly turned sour when a group of protesters, led by far-right activist Jake Lang, disrupted the event, holding anti-Hindu placards.
Visuals from the scene showed the former Capitol riot convict leading a group of protesters carrying slogans—such as 'Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians' and 'Deport All Dot Heads'—at the Seattle Center Armory, in the presence of many families gathered there.
The slogans soon created issues at the venue, with Lang later alleging that his group had been "assaulted" by some people present at the event, before they were escorted out.
He also claimed that Hindus had "flipped" Texas blue, alleging that their support had led to James Talarico winning the Senate race here in the 2026 midterms, making him the first Democrat to do so in a seat that had belonged to the Republicans for more than 30 years.
Lang himself had sought the Republican ticket for the Senate race in Florida this year, but did not make it onto the ballot for the party’s August primary. Ironically, that election was then won by another Republican, Ashley Moody, the former Attorney General of Florida.
This comes just years after the man was accused of battling police forces with a baseball bat and shield during the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol building in 2021.
Notably, Lang never stood trial for charges related to his role in the attack, managing to delay his case multiple times until until he was pardoned—alongside about 1,600 other rioters—and released from prison when Donald Trump came into power.
Often calling himself a 'January 6 Political Prisoner', he has since remained active in far-right political circles, and heads an organisation called White Replacement, for which he uses social media to promote anti-immigrant and anti-Hindu rhetoric.
