Gracie Mansion mayhem: Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter's bigoted protest sparks outrage and violent clashes | amNewYork

"Fists flew and pepper-spray blew outside of Gracie Mansion on Saturday afternoon as New Yorkers clashed with far-right influencer Jake Lang and his posse, leading to a slew of arrests. The chaotic scene unfolded on 89th Street and York Avenue when Lang—a bigoted online influencer and pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist—declared that he would be participating in a hateful demonstration against Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Big Apple's Muslim community."

"When Lang stepped out of his U-Haul van, with a goat in tow, and surrounded by about a dozen of his cohorts, they were met by counter-protesters enraged by his racist taunts. Vastly outnumbered, the NYPD shielded the far-right group, keeping the demonstrative crowd at bay as they made their way toward Gracie Mansion, while wild punches, shouts, and altercations ensued."

"A procession of punches continued until the NYPD separated both groups into pens outside of Gracie Mansion on 87th Street and East End Avenue. On one side, a group held up a flag with a racist Muslim caricature being lynched, and on the other, demonstrators burned the Confederate flag. In one startling moment, a far-right protester broke through the ranks and began pepper-spraying people, causing several individuals to be incapacitated."

A confrontation erupted outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday when far-right influencer Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 insurrectionist, arrived in a U-Haul van with a goat and approximately a dozen supporters to participate in a hateful demonstration targeting Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York's Muslim community. Counter-protesters, vastly outnumbering Lang's group, engaged in violent altercations including punches and pepper-spray attacks. The NYPD separated both groups into designated areas outside Gracie Mansion. The scene included racist imagery, including a flag depicting a lynched Muslim caricature on one side and a burning Confederate flag on the other. A far-right protester pepper-sprayed demonstrators, incapacitating several individuals. Multiple arrests resulted from the chaotic event.

Read at www.amny.com