Local authorities declared an unlawful assembly after protests on Saturday escalated near a federal building just outside Minneapolis, leading to at least 50 arrests, the county sheriff’s office said.
The incident occurred outside the B.H. Whipple Federal Building, a facility that has become both a staging ground for immigration agents and a hub for demonstrations against the crackdown in the Twin Cities.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office noted that while “many individuals” peacefully assembled, “some agitators” hurled chucks of ice at law enforcement, striking a sheriff’s deputy in the head and breaking the windshield of a squad car.
“This is not the first time our vehicles have been damaged at this location,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Dispersal orders have been issued. Individuals must leave the area immediately. Failure to comply will result in enforcement action.”
The agency requested support from the Minnesota State Patrol and the state’s Department of Natural Resources, who regularly offer conservation officers to assist law enforcement operations.
Of those arrested, 25 people were detained by state troopers for failing to comply with dispersal orders, the Minnesota State Patrol said in a statement. No weapons were used during the arrests, and one officer suffered minor injuries, the agency said.
“The Minnesota State Patrol respects the right to lawfully and peacefully demonstrate. Our role is to balance those rights with our responsibility to protect people, property and critical infrastructure,” the agency said.
Videos circulating on social media help piece together the events that transpired. The far-right provocateur Jake Lang had posted on social media that he would hold a news conference at the building at noon. A video shared on his social media page shows him in the back of a moving U-Haul truck, screaming into a microphone as the song “Ice Ice Baby” blares from the truck.
“We will not be replaced by Somalians,” Mr. Lang yells, adding: “American men, stand now or be replaced. Stand now or be replaced. This is our country. Muslims go home.”
Around six men stand beside Mr. Lang. One man holds a wooden cross. Another man wearing all black appears to clutch a paintball gun, with its long barrel pointed at protesters following the vehicle. Bags of ice lie by their feet.
It is unclear what happened immediately after the U-Haul drove away.
In other videos, a phalanx of officers wearing neon jackets can be seen clashing with protesters, detaining many on the ground.
Bernard Mokam covers breaking news.
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