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Jake Lang, a Florida Republican Senate candidate and pardoned January 6 defendant, is again livestreaming outside a U.S. mosque while urging supporters on X to “stand up” against what he calls “Islamification,” even as he faces public backlash and a $200 million lawsuit he filed over a previous failed Quran‑burning stunt in Dearborn, Michigan, according to his recent posts and ongoing live coverage. In his latest social media video and Instagram Reel, Lang portrays demonstrators gathered near a mosque as “patriots” defending American values, framing the action as part of a broader national campaign against Islam and Muslim civic institutions.
Live Protest Framed as ‘Patriots vs. Islamification’
Lang’s current messaging on X emphasizes that “patriots” are rallying outside a mosque to “take our country back” and oppose what he describes as “Islamification of America,” echoing language heard in recent protests in Dearborn and in his campaign rhetoric. In the new Instagram Reel titled “Patriots or Protestors: Standing Up for American Values,” he casts the scene outside the mosque as a frontline in a cultural struggle, with the caption suggesting that demonstrators are there to protect the Constitution and “stand without fear” despite criticism.
The live coverage stream from the protest shows Lang addressing the camera, invoking his January 6 imprisonment and subsequent pardon by President Donald Trump as proof that he is willing to “sacrifice” for his beliefs, while urging viewers to join similar actions around the country. Rights advocates observing the event say such framing blends campaign messaging with street‑level agitation outside places of worship, raising concerns about harassment of local Muslim communities.
In his social media branding, Lang repeatedly describes himself and his followers as “Americans against Islamification,” a phrase also captured in prior extended videos of his Dearborn demonstrations.
Dearborn Quran‑Burning Attempt and Clash
Lang’s latest protest comes less than a month after he traveled to Dearborn, Michigan, and attempted to burn a Quran outside a mosque during an anti‑Islam march along Michigan Avenue, according to BG On The Scene, CBS Detroit, and local coverage compiled by Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative. Video from the November rally shows Lang holding a lighter to a Quran before counter protesters repeatedly knock the book from his hands; at one point, he is seen slapping a Quran with bacon before a counter protester grabs it and runs.
The march drew a heavy police presence as anti‑Islam protesters and residents clashed verbally and physically. In one widely shared clip published by outlets including the New York Post and BG On The Scene, a counter-protester punches Lang in the face during the procession toward the Dearborn Administrative Center, then quickly flees.
$200 Million Lawsuit Against Dearborn
Days after the Dearborn protest, Lang filed a federal lawsuit seeking $200 million in damages from the city of Dearborn, its mayor, and police officials, claiming violations of his civil rights during the anti‑Islam rally, CBS News Detroit reported. In the complaint, Lang alleges that officers failed to protect him from assault, that he and his supporters were hit with pepper spray and had food thrown at them, and that police actions unlawfully restricted their protest activities.
City officials have defended the police response as a good‑faith effort to maintain order amid escalating tensions between demonstrators and counter-protesters, according to Michigan media reports summarizing the city’s initial reaction. Legal analysts note that the case could test how courts balance public‑safety decisions at volatile protests against First Amendment claims by organizers who intentionally stage highly provocative actions near religious institutions.
Lang’s Jan. 6 Background and Political Ambitions
Lang, whose full name is Edward Jacob Lang, was charged with multiple felonies for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including allegations that he assaulted officers with a bat and a riot shield, NBC News and The Guardian have reported. He spent several years in pretrial detention before President Trump’s sweeping January 6 clemency order in early 2025 led to his release along with hundreds of other defendants.
Following his release, Lang announced a run for the U.S. Senate from Florida, presenting himself as a “political prisoner” turned candidate and aligning closely with Trump’s rhetoric about Jan. 6 defendants as “hostages.” His campaign has increasingly intertwined anti‑Islam activism, mosque‑focused protests, and online fundraising appeals targeting audiences on X, Instagram, and right‑leaning video platforms.
Muslim Leaders Warn of Escalating Harassment
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and local Muslim organizations have consistently condemned Quran‑burning attempts and mosque‑centered protests as efforts to provoke and intimidate residents rather than engage in substantive debate, according to local reporting and analysis by the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University. National advocacy groups warn that repeated, livestreamed actions like Lang’s risk normalizing confrontation at mosques and may encourage copycats elsewhere in the country.
As Lang continues to broadcast live from outside mosques and presses his lawsuit against Dearborn, civil rights organizations and legal observers are watching to see whether authorities adopt new strategies to manage such protests and whether courts will view his activities primarily as protected political expression or as targeted harassment of a religious minority.