MINNEAPOLIS — A right-wing provocateur who was pardoned on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol says he was stabbed at a pro-ICE rally outside Minneapolis City Hall on Saturday.
“I just got stabbed…today in Minnesota,” Jake Lang said in a post onalleging he was attacked by a counter-protester. NBC News could not independently verify his statement and Lang did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lang, a 30-year-old conservative influencer who served four years in prison for alleged crimes related to Jan. 6, was organizing an anti-immigration protest with a small group of pro-ICE supporters when hundreds of counterprotesters converged on the scene.
Anti-ICE protesters and a group of journalists surrounded Lang and his associates, save them in a recessed window along the City Hall building.
Counter-protesters could also be seen throwing water balloons at Lang, leaving him soaked in water in the freezing cold. They also threw snowballs at other pro-ICE protesters, drenching them as temperatures plummeted to zero degrees Fahrenheit.
“Please stop,” Lang repeated to a protester who appeared to grab his legs.
The heated confrontation comes as pressure continues to mount in the Twin Cities following the killing of Renee Nicole Good this month by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Lang had I promised to burn a Koran to the planned demonstration, but did not appear to do so. His band released music, including the song “Ice Ice Baby.” However, Lang, who is originally from New York and is candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubiohad difficulty making himself heard against the counter-protesters.
Anti-ICE counterprotesters shouted profanities and held banners reading “Minnesota Nice, Not ICE” and “ICE out now!” »
“Hey, Minnesota, what are we saying?” » shouted an anti-ICE protester into a megaphone. “Fucking Nazis every day.” »
Gary, a pro-ICE protester who did not want his last name published, said he came to the “March Against Fraud in Minnesota” on Saturday motivated by anger fraud scandals that have sparked renewed interest in Minnesota, including a high-profile investigation focused on social service programs involving a number of people of Somali descent.
Local officials had would have expressed concerns that the gathering could lead to harassment of Somalis in the community.
Gary said he supports increasing immigration operations in the region.
“I’m 100 percent on board with ICE in every way. If I could join them, I would.”
Asked about reports of U.S. citizens being stopped by federal agents during traffic stops, Gary said he supports agents questioning and arresting people.
“I have all my identification,” he said. “You know, I learned my lesson a long time ago. If you respect law enforcement, you’ll be fine.”
The scene was quieter across the street.
Sara Steck, 60, said she braved the cold to protest Lang’s demonstration because “this city is built on immigrants.”
“That’s exactly what I strongly believe in, that people need to be united and not oust people who don’t look or sound like us,” she said. “It’s bigger than Renee Good.”
Despite Minnesota’s challenges, Steck said she remains proud of her home state.
“They always call it a flyover state. And it’s like people think we live in igloos and it’s always cold there and it’s not a great place,” she said. “Yes, it’s really cold, and look how tough we are. But we will fight for this beautiful state we have and for all the people who live here.”
Isabelle Brourman, a courtroom artist who works in federal court and immigration, stood nearby sketching the scene.
“I think right now it’s a bit like manufactured chaos,” she said. “People have natural emotions about it and they are strong.”
