Who Is Jake Lang? Trump-Pardoned Rioter And Senate Hopeful Punched During Anti-Islam Protest

Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 rioter now running for US Senate in Florida, was punched during an anti-Islam protest in Dearborn, Michigan on Tuesday after attempting to burn a Quran and taunting Muslim counter-protesters with bacon. The confrontation marks the latest provocative action from the 29-year-old, who spent four years in federal custody before receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump and declaring his candidacy with the slogan 'We Are Taking Over The Capitol Again'.

Lang led a small group of demonstrators through Dearborn, home to the largest Arab-American population in the United States, carrying crosses, American flags and a banner reading 'Americans Against Islamification'. According to CBS Detroit, Lang threatened to burn a Quran and taunt counter-protesters with bacon, which he proceeded to do at the intersection of Schaefer Road and Michigan Avenue.

Provocation in Dearborn

Video footage shows Lang attempting to burn the Quran with a lighter, with counter-protesters repeatedly snatching it away. He then slapped the book with strips of bacon, a deliberate insult in Islam where pork is forbidden. The act triggered immediate scuffles, with reports of shoving, pepper spray deployments and at least one punch thrown at Lang. One person was led away in handcuffs, though it's unknown if charges will be filed.

Lang's group chanted 'Islamification of America ends today' whilst accusing Dearborn of operating under Sharia law and promoting demographic replacement. The protest coincided with a separate march led by Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Anthony Hudson, who had previously falsely claimed there was Sharia law in Dearborn before walking back those statements. Hudson later distanced himself from Lang's group, which he did not condone.

The evening escalated when Lang stormed the podium at a Dearborn city council meeting, demanding President Trump deploy ICE to 'clear out' the city and railing against chain migration before being escorted out.

From January 6 to the Campaign Trail

Lang was charged with 11 offences related to the January 6 Capitol riot, including assaulting officers with a baseball bat. He spent four years awaiting trial before Trump pardoned approximately 1,500 people connected to the insurrection. Lang, a native New Yorker who now lives in West Palm Beach, announced his Florida Senate candidacy in March 2025, challenging Senator Ashley Moody in the 2026 Republican primary.

'Electing a January Sixer to go back to the Capitol and represent we the people and the constitutional conservatives and a real 1776 patriot is more than just about individual campaign issues', Lang told the Michigan Advance.

Lang has raised nearly $600,000 through his GiveSendGo campaign for January 6 legal costs and has organised the J6 Pardon Coalition. In June 2024, he attempted to create a national militia from his prison cell, initially called the North American Patriot and Liberty Militia before being renamed the America First Constitutional Militia.

The Dearborn protest represents Lang's continued pattern of inflammatory activism following his release. Dearborn police maintained a heavy presence with approximately seven squad cars using barriers to separate crowds and prevent major injuries, though no serious injuries were reported overall.