Minneapolis: Jake Lang, a January 6 rioter recently granted clemency by US President Donald Trump, claimed on social media that he was attacked and stabbed after his small pro-ICE rally in Minneapolis was overwhelmed by a much larger counter-protest against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“I just got stabbed by a crazie white commie leftist rioter today in Minnesota,” Lang wrote on X. In another post, he said, “I was just literally lynched by an anti-white mob of liberals & illegal immigrants- I'm at the hospital now getting staples in my skull..Nearly ripped limb from limb in Minneapolis!!!!”

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Lang, who was among around 1,600 people granted clemency by Trump on his first day back in office, had gathered with supporters outside the federal courthouse on Saturday for a pro-ICE rally.

His group played the song Ice Ice Baby and made anti-immigrant remarks, claiming immigrants were “replacing” white Americans. Lang had promoted the event online as a “Crusader march” and referred to the area as “Little Somalia,” referencing Minneapolis’ large Somali population. He had also said he intended to burn a Quran during the protest, though it was unclear if he carried out that plan.

Only a small number of supporters attended Lang’s demonstration, while hundreds of counterprotesters converged at the site, shouting slogans, holding anti-ICE signs and drowning out his attempts to speak. Videos showed crowds surrounding Lang and chasing his group away from the courthouse. He later appeared with bruises and scrapes on his head as he left the scene.

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After the rally, Lang claimed he had been taken to the hospital and accused city authorities of failing to protect him. He urged Trump to send in the National Guard and shared a fundraising link for his medical expenses.

“We’re out here to show Nazis and ICE and DHS and MAGA you are not welcome in Minneapolis,” protester Luke Rimington said. “Stay out of our city, stay out of our state. Go home.”

The protest came amid rising anger in Minneapolis over a surge in federal immigration enforcement. Demonstrations have taken place daily since the Department of Homeland Security ramped up operations in the Twin Cities, bringing in more than 2,000 federal officers.

Earlier this month, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, during an operation in the city, triggering nationwide protests. A federal judge on Friday ruled that immigration officers cannot detain or tear-gas peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities.

Minnesota’s National Guard said it had been “mobilised” by Governor Tim Walz to support state patrol operations and was “staged and ready” but not yet deployed to city streets.

Lang was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes before receiving clemency as part of Trump’s sweeping pardon for January 6 defendants. He has recently announced his intention to run for the US Senate in Florida.