Quran-burning activist arrested after Minneapolis rally erupts in clashes (Video)

US activist Jake Lang has been arrested on suspicion of rioting after a rally outside Minneapolis City Hall descended into violent confrontations with counterprotesters.

Lang, known for attempts to burn copies of the Quran, organised what he called a “crusader freedom of speech rally” in Minneapolis on Saturday.

The demonstration was promoted as a show of support for Shiloh Hendrix, a white woman convicted last month of disorderly conduct after a widely circulated video showed her directing a racial slur at an autistic black child at a Rochester playground. Hendrix was fined $1,000, handed a suspended 90-day jail sentence, placed on supervised probation for a year and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

Ahead of the event, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey urged opponents to stay away, describing it as a “lame-a** racist rally” and warning people against being drawn into confrontation.

WATCH: Protesters PEPPER SPRAYED as they Smash Up Jake Lang’s truck, while he drives through the side walk outside Minneapolis City Hall.

Lang crew was seen hovering in the back by the end of the drive as police struggled to keep crowds away.

Originally promoted as “N March”,… pic.twitter.com/O3RtJwZV3W

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) August 22, 2026

Despite the appeal, a sizeable group of counterprotesters gathered outside City Hall.

Lang arrived with two vehicles that drove onto the pavement in front of the building. Standing in the back of a pickup truck, he displayed a large sign containing both a message claiming affection for black people and a racial slur. Another person accompanying him carried a large white cross.

Tensions quickly escalated as counterprotesters attempted to obstruct the vehicles and confrontations broke out. Police moved between the opposing groups as a series of scuffles unfolded.

Local media reported that officers arrested all seven people travelling in Lang’s vehicles, including Lang himself. Four other people were reportedly detained in connection with the disorder.

A subsequent message posted to Lang’s X account claimed he had been “brutally assaulted” and was being held “as a political hostage”.

Lang previously spent four years in prison over his involvement in the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot before receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.

He has also staged a series of provocative demonstrations. In November 2025, Lang attempted to burn a Quran in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Muslim population, but was stopped by a counterprotester. A second attempt outside a Dearborn mosque in May was thwarted when someone used a fire extinguisher.

BREAKING: Chaotic scene in Minneapolis as Jake Lang rides in the bed of a pickup truck outside city hall pic.twitter.com/fjvMqUIh4A

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 22, 2026

In January, Lang demonstrated outside the Washington headquarters of the pro-Israel lobbying organisation AIPAC under a “Make Jerusalem Christian Again” banner and threw gold-foil-wrapped chocolate coins.