Arrest, Punches at Jake Lang's Anti-Muslim March Near NYC 9/11 Ceremony

At least one counterprotester was arrested as violence broke out during far-right activist Jake Lang's "Crusader March" near Ground Zero on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Brawl and Arrest at Far-Right March Near Ground Zero on 9/11 Anniversary

At least one person was arrested and punches were thrown during a far-right "Crusader March" led by white nationalist influencer Jake Lang outside New York City Hall on Friday, the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, NY Post Metro reports.

Police were called to the David Dinkins Municipal Building at around 11:05 a.m., where approximately 100 demonstrators had gathered for Lang's anti-Muslim march. The procession then moved downtown toward the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, where solemn anniversary ceremonies were underway.

The march drew roughly 40 counterprotesters near Church Street and Cortlandt Way — a group that included anti-racism activists, neo-Nazis wearing swastika armbands, and one individual in an Elmo costume draped in a Palestinian flag, video footage and sources confirmed. Lang's marchers carried signs reading "Deport All Muslims" and broadly attributed the September 11 attacks to Islam.

Emmanuel Vasquez Rodriguez, 22, of Queens, was handcuffed after allegedly striking a marcher with a closed fist, sources said. A separate contingent of neo-Nazi counterprotesters also targeted Lang with antisemitic banners and Nazi salutes, attacking him for being Jewish rather than opposing his march's stated message.

The chaotic scene unfolded within blocks of the official Ground Zero ceremony. At that ceremony, the son of 9/11 victim Michael Massoroli concluded the annual reading of names with a direct appeal.

"You do my dad's legacy and the legacy of all these victims no honor by using this tragedy to spread hate," he said. "I've had to grow up and spend the past 25 years seeing people use it to hate on our Muslim brothers and sisters, to hate on people who don't look like them. That's wrong."

Michael Kaiser, 60, a retired FDNY member who responded on September 11, 2001, said the demonstrations left him deeply troubled. "I'm always for peaceful demonstrations. But it shouldn't be today," Kaiser said.

One source described the episode as a "disgrace," adding: "Desecration of what should otherwise be a solemn day. No regard for these families or the dead. A bunch of selfish content creating rejects."

Source: NY Post Metro