DEARBORN ~ Hundreds of protestors flooded Dearborn Tuesday evening for a right-wing, anti-Muslim march that saw several arrests and passionate counterprotestors.
Titled the “Christian Crusader March” by the AI-generated poster for the event, the demonstration was led by anti-Muslim agitator Jake Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell, with the former making frequent inflammatory visits to Dearborn over the past year. A crowd of anti-Muslim protestors and Christian extremists gathered where the Dearborn City Council was holding its meeting that evening, and were met by counterprotesters. Footage from the event shows a person carrying a large flag with a swastika on it, with a person wearing a swastika shirt being spotted as well.
As the scene became heated, riot police poured into the scene. Multiple arrests were made, though the reasons for the arrests and which side the protestors were on are currently not clear.
The City of Dearborn, which is home to the proportionally largest Muslim population in the U.S., announced last week that increased police presence would be in place for the visit, though it will still respect free speech. The council meeting was also moved to accommodate the expected larger crowd.
Lang, a long-time right-wing activist who does not live in Michigan, previously served prison time for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. President Donald Trump pardoned him alongside all others charged for crimes related to Jan. 6.
Lang spoke during the meeting’s public comment section, where he shouted “Muslims go home before we send you home,” along with other Islamophobic rhetoric. He was escorted out of the meeting by police after he was finished with his speech.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud later shared an emotional interaction he had that morning in the park with a young boy, who asked him if “the crusaders that were coming were coming to kill him.” He also spoke about how Muslims and Christians have lived alongside each other in the city for a long time.
“I want to speak to every resident of Dearborn who has felt that fear: I want to boldly say that you belong here,” Hammoud said. “You belong here as much as anyone else, and the generations of the people who built this city proved it. Dearborn was built by people with different names, different accents, different traditions, and different ways of worshiping God.”
Hours before the march, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemned the march in Dearborn.
“Dearborn is home to one of the most vibrant communities in America,” she said in a statement. “Its residents are our friends and our neighbors. Today, a group of agitators is traveling to Dearborn for the sole purpose of intimidating that community and provoking a reaction. Their plan emboldens and contributes to dangerous behavior, and I am asking every person of good will to denounce it. Their hate has no place in Michigan.“
