A Spider-Man cosplayer went viral over the weekend for punching a white supremacist
In an act of vigilante justice, a Spider-Man cosplayer went viral over the weekend for throwing hands with a group of white supremacists in Minneapolis. A video showed the cosplayer confronting a group of far-right “activists” who were holding a sign with a racial slur.Spider-Man leaped onto their truck, landing punches while attempting to remove the sign. PhotographerChris Juhn captured an iconic photo of the incident as Spidey wound back a blow.
The white supremacist demonstration was organized by Jake Lang, a notorious racist and right-wing provocateur. Lang participated in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol and served prison time before being pardoned by Donald Trump. As for this weekend’s incident, Lang was protesting the sentencing of Shiloh Hendrix, a woman found guilty of yelling racial slurs at a Black autistic child on a playground. Lang’s protest was met with a much larger counter-protest, as Minneapolis citizens flooded the streets to stop the hateful demonstration. Local reporter Mark Wasson posted a video of the brawl on TikTok.
After the clash, police arrested both the Spider-Man cosplayer and Lang. Keyssy Ayala Castro Figuero identified himself as the cosplayer and posted a GoFundMe page to help cover his legal fees and medical bills from the incident — he was allegedly tackled and struck by police. The fundraiser has already made almost $12,000 in donations.
Since being pardoned by Trump, Lang has worked up quite a rap sheet; he organized an antisemitic demonstration in Washington D.C., where he performed Nazi salutes and screamed racial epithets; he allegedly defaced an anti-ICE ice sculpture; and he was arrested for threatening to kill Karmelo Anthony.
Minneapolis is one of many cities recently affected by a surge of anti-immigration ICE raids, prompting a wave of protests in response. Federal officers responded to these demonstrations with violence, killing two protesters: On Jan. 7, an ICE officer shot and killed Renée Good, while on Jan. 24, United States Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti. While the raids have since calmed down, Minneapolis remains a cultural battleground.