‘Deport all dot heads’: Far-right activists disrupt Seattle Diwali event with anti-Hindu slogans
New Delhi: A Diwali celebration in Seattle descended into chaos on Saturday, local time, after activists interrupted a dance performance and displayed placards with racist anti-Hindu slogans. Indian American leaders and community organisations condemned the incident.
Videos circulated on social media showed Jake Lang and Thomas Allen waving American flags and carrying signs at the Seattle Center Armory. The celebration formed part of the Seattle Center Festál programme.
Racist placards at celebration
One placard read “Deport All Dot Heads”. The phrase is a racist slur directed at people of South Asian origin, particularly Hindus. Another sign carried the words “Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians”.
The activists disrupted the event during a dance performance. Their slogans targeted the community gathered for the Diwali festivities and prompted criticism from political and community representatives.
We were just ASSAULTED by dozens of ANTIFA & HINDUS @ the Seattle Diwali Festival!!!!
I guess they didn’t like our “Deport All Dot Heads” sign!!! 🇮🇳✈️
Hindus flipped Texas blue. Fuck them. https://t.co/mS3oBdEAYZ
— Jake Lang – January 6 Political Prisoner 🇺🇸 (@JakeLang) November 8, 2026
Activists’ political links
Reports described Lang and Allen as far-right activists who support the Republican Party and President Donald Trump.
Lang sought a Republican nomination for a US Senate seat from Florida in August but failed to register as a candidate, according to reports.
The Associated Press reported that Lang was associated with an organisation called ‘White Replacement’ and participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. He spent four years in custody before Trump pardoned him on the first day of his second presidency in 2025, according to the report.
Leaders condemn disruption
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal described the disruption as ‘disgusting’. She said Diwali was an important holiday and that such a hateful display had no place in Seattle or the United States.
Former White House adviser Ajay Jain Bhutoria also condemned the incident. He said racial slurs and conspiracy rhetoric against Hindu Americans and Indian immigrants had no place in the country.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America urged Indian Americans to remain cautious during Diwali celebrations.
Hindus for Human Rights co-founder Sunita Vishwanath called the targeting of Indian Americans ‘heartbreaking’.
“If we are appalled by this hateful and threatening behaviour of right-wing Christians towards Hindus, we must be equally appalled by the hate and violence that Indian Christians suffer at the hands of right-wing Hindus,” she said on X.