Minneapolis’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is preparing for a permitted rally titled “March Against Minnesota Fraud,” scheduled for Saturday.
The demonstration is being organized by Jake Lang, a right-wing activist who was among those pardoned for their involvement in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot. The rally is expected to take place in and around Minneapolis City Hall.
According to the event’s permit application, Lang obtained authorization for the gathering, which is billed as a peaceful protest “intended to unite Christian and conservative voices.”
However, community leaders in Cedar-Riverside have raised concerns about the event. In a statement, a coalition of local leaders warned, “A group of racist and anti-Muslim agitators may be coming to Cedar Riverside on Saturday Jan 17th. Their goal is to create chaos and cause violence in our community.”
“There will also be community patrollers in yellow vests, religious leaders in orange vests, the sheriff and MPD monitoring and responding to potential threat.”
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Who is Jake Lang?
Jake Lang is a right-wing activist and participant in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. He was charged with 11 federal offenses related to the riot, including assaulting law enforcement officers as well as civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Prosecutors alleged he attacked police using a baseball bat and a riot shield.
Lang spent nearly four years in pretrial detention while repeatedly delaying his case. He was never convicted after being included in a mass pardon covering nearly 1,600 January 6 defendants, issued by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office in January 2025.
Lang has frequently referred to himself as a “January 6 political prisoner” and previously hosted a podcast focused on the Capitol attack. Since his release, he has emerged as a far-right provocateur, known for anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric and for organizing controversial demonstrations.
He is currently running for US Senate in Florida.