‘False Idol Worshippers and H1-B Fraudsters’: Far-Right Activists Disrupt Seattle Diwali Celebration
- The Coalition of Hindus of North America and Hindus for Human Rights condemned the disruption, while across faith lines, the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called it a racist, xenophobic and anti-Hindu disruption.
Two far-right activists disrupted a public Diwali festival at the Seattle Center Armory on Saturday, Nov. 7, carrying American flags and signs targeting Hindus and Indian Americans. Children were performing at the time. Attendees confronted the pair and pushed them out of the venue, the Lynnwood Times reported.
The event was “Diwali: Lights of India,” a free festival in Seattle Center’s Festál cultural series, with dance performances, family activities and exhibits. One sign carried by the activists used a racial slur for Indians and called for their deportation. The other read “Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians,” invoking a far-right replacement conspiracy theory, Newsweek reported.
The disruption came a day after Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson proclaimed Nov. 8 as Diwali in the state, and a day after President Donald Trump lit a diya in the Oval Office to mark the festival.
The two men have been identified as Jake Lang and Thomas Allen. Independent journalist Jonathan Choe, who livestreamed the scene and spoke with them, reported that they cited concern about American culture being overrun by “false idol worshippers and H1-B fraudsters,” the Lynnwood Times reported.
Jake Lang, 31, whose full name is Edward Jacob Lang, gained national notice for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Federal prosecutors indicted him on 11 counts, including assaulting police officers, and he spent about four years in pretrial detention. He was released without trial when President Trump pardoned Jan. 6 defendants in January 2025, according to the Lynnwood Times. Since then he has faced further arrests, including a June 2026 Texas charge of making terroristic threats. He has staged a series of confrontational anti-Muslim protests, including a January rally in Minneapolis that counterprotesters drove off, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
After the confrontation, Lang posted on X that he and Allen had been assaulted by antifa and Hindus at the festival. He blamed Hindus for Democrats’ midterm gains in Texas.
Thomas Allen, 37, is a pro-Trump livestreamer who often appears at protests in the Portland area. In September, Oregon prosecutors charged him with fourth-degree assault, harassment and disorderly conduct over a confrontation at an anti-ICE protest, the Lynnwood Times reported.
After the confrontation, Lang posted on X that he and Allen had been assaulted by antifa and Hindus at the festival. He blamed Hindus for Democrats’ midterm gains in Texas. According to Choe’s posts the pair said they planned to target other locations in the city that weekend.
Swift Condemnation
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, whose district includes Seattle, called the display vile and racist. “This hateful display has no place in our city or this country,” she wrote on X. Five members of Congress and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson condemned the disruption. They included Rep. Adam Smith of Washington and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad, who noted her own roots in India, told Diwali celebrants they belong.
The festival’s organizers thanked the attendees, including some Seattle Kraken hockey fans, who removed the two men, the Northwest Asian Weekly reported. The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) urged Hindus in the region to stay vigilant. Its spokesperson, Pushpita Prasad, told Newsweek she saw the incident as part of a broader pattern of anti-Hindu hate and faulted authorities for slow responses. Sunita Vishwanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, also condemned the demonstration. Across faith lines, the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called it a racist, xenophobic and anti-Hindu disruption.