Far-right activist Jake Lang disrupts Seattle Diwali celebrations with anti-Hindu placards
Lang heads an organisation called White Replacement and was among those who participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. He served four years in prison before being pardoned by US President Donald Trump on the first day of his second presidency in 2025. A 19-year-old suspect, identified as Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested following an investigation into threats against the temple. Calling for a protest ahead of the anniversary of the January 6 Capitol attack, he said, “On January 3rd 2027, Christian Crusaders will descend upon the US Capitol in Washington DC to PROTEST the Certification of the RIGGED Midterms!!!!
Following the incident, Lang posted pictures of the attempted disruption on X and launched an abusive tirade against Hindus, accusing them of being responsible for turning Texas blue in favour of the Democrats.
A Diwali celebration in Seattle was disrupted on Saturday (local time) after far-right American activist Jake Lang and a group of protesters attempted to interrupt the festivities while carrying placards reading “Deport All Dot Heads”. In his post, Lang said, “We were just ASSAULTED by dozens of ANTIFA & HINDUS @ the Seattle Diwali Festival!!!! I guess they didn’t like our “Deport All Dot Heads” sign!!! In a post on X, Ferguson said, “We had an incredible celebration of Diwali inside the Legislative Building this week with the Consulate General of India and Sen.
Lang was confronted and physically stopped by some of the people present at the event. Hindus flipped Texas blue. F*** them. The incident came shortly after Trump celebrated Diwali at the White House with Indian tech entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, chef Vikas Mehta and others at the Oval Office. The US President participated in a ceremonial diya-lighting and was presented with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa. Meanwhile, Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson also marked the festival at the state’s Legislative Building in Olympia, alongside the Consul General of India and state Senator Manka Dhingra. Dhingra, and I proclaimed this Sunday to be Diwali, The Festival of Lights In Washington State. Washington state is proud to be home to one of the largest communities of Indian Americans in the country. During the previous decade, we had the fastest growing Indian American population in the entire country. And we have seen this community contribute so much to our state. The attempted disruption in Seattle also comes days after another right-wing activist allegedly plotted a mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago. The suspect, who professed Nazi ideology, had allegedly outlined a plan to carry out an attack. Meanwhile, Lang has also claimed that the US midterm election results, which saw Democrats make gains in states such as Texas and Kansas, were rigged. Texas saw Democratic victories in the Senate and gubernatorial races, with James Talarico winning the Senate seat and Gina Hinojosa becoming governor. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.