Influencer Jake Lang’s Online Rants Fuel Debate as Legal Battle Over Sculpture Incident Continues

A far-right influencer and pardoned January 6 participant, Jake Lang, has been charged with a felony in Minnesota after he damaged a protest sculpture outside the State Capitol in St. Paul. Authorities said the incident occurred in early February, shortly after a veterans group installed the sculpture. While the matter escalated on social media at the time, Jake Lang’s recent post on X has brought it back into the spotlight, with many users sharing their thoughts.

Lang, in a recent post on X, said, “TWO FELONY HATE CRIMES” and could face more than five years in prison. He also accused authorities of bias, writing, “White Christians are being LYNCHED in Minneapolis!!!!”

His post drew mixed reactios online. One user wrote, “They are trying to make an example out of you. If what you did was against the law, a $100 fine should have cleared this case. I hope you have good representation. God speed."

Another added, “I hope you have great lawyers. Because you are the wrong color to get a deal in Minnesota. Sadly.”

Meanwhile, some showed less support, with one replying, “Their will ne no pardons now. You should have went home and kept a low profile.”

According to law enforcement, Lang was seen in a video kicking a sculpture placed on the Capitol steps. The artwork had the message, “Prosecute ICE,” in bold letters and had been installed the same day by Common Defense. Officers arrested Lang soon after near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and University Avenue. He was later booked into the Ramsey County Jail.

Prosecutors charged him with first-degree damage to property. Court documents state that Lang asked for protective custody in jail. He also informed authorities that his actions were protected speech. “I was exercising my First Amendment right to artistic expression,” Lang said.

However, the complaint challenged that claim. It read: "Complainant notes that the First Amendment does indeed protect artistic expression — the creation and display of an ice sculpture, for example," the complaint read. "The First Amendment does not, however, provide protection against damaging someone else's property."

A judge has since ordered Lang to stay at least three blocks away from the State Capitol. During a hearing on March 4, Lang pleaded not guilty. His trial is now scheduled for July 27.

Before his arrest, Lang said that he planned to hold a rally inside the Capitol building. Officials later confirmed that he did not have a permit for such an event.