Activists removed after disrupting Seattle Diwali celebration

Two activists disrupted a Diwali celebration at Seattle Center Armory on November 7, displaying placards with anti-Hindu slogans before being escorted from the event. The activists were identified as Jake Lang and Thomas Allen, and the signs read “Deport All Dot Heads” and “Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians.”

The celebration was underway as families gathered at the venue. Videos and images of the demonstration circulated online, showing the men with the placards near the event. Reports say they were escorted out, although accounts differ on whether attendees physically confronted them during their removal.

Lang later wrote on X that he and other protesters had been assaulted by attendees. The supplied reporting does not independently confirm that allegation. The sequence and nature of the confrontation remain unclear from the accounts and footage described.

The Coalition of Hindus of North America condemned the disruption and urged community members to remain vigilant. The group said the activists had indicated plans to disrupt other celebrations. That warning was attributed to the coalition and was not independently established in the reports.