On Saturday, 7th November, a Diwali celebration in Seattle was disrupted after far-right American activist Jake Lang arrived at the event with a group of protesters carrying anti-Hindu placards. One of the signs read, “Deport All Dot Heads”. Lang and the protesters were confronted by people attending the celebration, who stopped them from interrupting the festivities. In the viral video of the disruption, another anti-Hindu poster read, ‘Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians.’
HAPPENING NOW: Absolutely chaotic scene as conservative activists Jake Lang and Thomas Allen storm a Diwali Hindu celebration at the Seattle Center Armory. They held signs that read, "Deport All Dot Heads" and "Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians." I just spoke to both men who say they are concerned about American culture being overrun by false idol worshippers and H1-B fraudsters. Lang and Allen say they will be targeting other locations in the city this weekend. They have yet to announce details of their plans due to possible retaliation by Antifa and other far-left activists. Stay tuned. @JakeLang|@Tommy4Trump420
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) November 8, 2026
After the incident, Lang shared pictures of the confrontation on X and launched an abusive attack against Hindus. He accused the Hindu community of being responsible for turning Texas in favour of the Democrats. “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!!! Hindus flipped Texas blue. F*** them,” Lang wrote.
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!!! 🇮🇳✈️ Hindus flipped Texas blue. Fuck them. https://t.co/mS3oBdEAYZ
— Jake Lang – January 6 Political Prisoner 🇺🇸 (@JakeLang) November 8, 2026
Notably, Jake Lang heads an organisation called White Replacement and was among those who took part in the 6th January 2021 attack on the US Capitol. He spent four years in prison before US President Donald Trump pardoned him on the first day of his second presidency in 2025.
The Seattle incident comes at a time when Diwali was also being celebrated at official events across the US. Earlier, Trump marked the festival at the White House with Indian tech entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, chef Vikas Mehta and others at the Oval Office. The US President took part in a ceremonial diya-lighting and was also presented with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa.
Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson also celebrated Diwali at the state’s Legislative Building in Olympia, alongside the Consul General of India and state Senator Manka Dhingra. 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. Dhingra, and I proclaimed this Sunday to be Diwali, the Festival of Lights in Washington State.”
He also highlighted the contribution of the Indian-American community, saying Washington was home to one of the largest Indian-American populations in the country and that it had recorded the fastest growth in this population during the previous decade.
The Seattle disruption comes days after a 19-year-old man, identified as Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested over plans to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago. The suspect, who professed Nazi ideology, had drawn up a plan to attack the temple following threats against it.
