Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang tears up copy of Quran

• Lang denounces Islam and tells Muslims to “get out of our city.”
• The incident follows Lang’s previous anti-Islam protests in Dearborn and Minneapolis.

Pardoned January 6 rioter and far-right Islamophobe Jake Lang torn up a copy of the Holy Quran inside a Harlem church, drawing widespread condemnation for his latest anti-Islamic stunt.

Addressing attendees on Saturday at Pastor James Manning’s ATLAH World Ministries in Harlem, Lang—who served four years in prison before receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump—characterized Islam's holy text as "a book that a demon translated through a warlord". He then demanded that Muslims "get out of our city," using profanity and a racial slur during his address.

While a portion of the audience inside the church cheered his actions, civil rights groups and critics condemned the display as an act of hate and Islamophobia.

Demonstrated pattern 

Saturday's incident in Harlem is not Lang's first time staging provocative anti-Islam demonstrations targeting holy books.

During an anti-Islam protest in Dearborn, Michigan—a city home to a prominent Arab-American and Muslim population—Lang attempted to ignite a copy of the Holy Quran.

Holding a canister of lighter fluid, Lang threw the book to the ground before a counter-protester stepped in to retrieve it, stating, "Don't burn it, man. You can't burn it".

Undeterred by the intervention, Lang produced a second copy of the Holy Quran and slapped a package of bacon on top of it.

The encounter quickly degenerated into a physical altercation as bystanders wrestled the text away from him.

Extremist rhetoric 

Following his protest in Dearborn, Lang attended a city council meeting to confront local officials—some of whom are Muslim—telling them, "you guys don't live like we do.

We don't want you in our country." His remarks echoed the debunked "great replacement" conspiracy theory, alleging that white Americans are being systematically displaced by immigrants.

Lang’s actions drew swift criticism across the political spectrum. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel denounced his behavior as "an unacceptable act of hate," praising Dearborn as "a beloved, multicultural city with tens of thousands of people who are cherished friends, family members, and neighbors."

Hertel blasted political figures who host or encourage such demonstrations, stating that bringing extremists into communities to incite conflict remains "disgraceful."