Over the past few months, anti-Indian rhetoric in America has escalated from online algorithms to everyday life. Indian-Americans face slurs on the streets and accusations in city council meetings, highlighting challenges in immigration and assimilation.
Incidents in Texas
In the Texan cities of Frisco and Plano, several far-right commentators and anti-India speakers have appeared at city council meetings to incite hatred and call for deportations of the Indian community. During a recent Frisco city council session, Edward Jacob Lang, a January 6 rioter, delivered an anti-Hindu and anti-Muslim speech, referring to India as a 'sh*thole' without naming it.
"The Hindus and the Muslims are teaming up to take over Texas. This is not Muslims versus Hindus here. They are here to eradicate the Christians; they are here to drive us out of our homeland," Lang said.
"You have to understand. These people do not want to assimilate. They have not come here to become Americans. They have come here to drag their third-world culture over to our country. If Jainism and Hinduism are so great, why are there countries sh*tholes? They are bringing this ideology here," Lang added, calling America a Christian country.
Chinmayi Sripada's response
Indian singer Chinmayi Sripada, 41, took to X to condemn Lang's speech, highlighting his history of violence. "Speech by a US Senate Candidate and Capitol Hill Riots accused. Ended up calling our countries shitholes and all of us 'Jeets'," she wrote. In comments, she added that if she were a politician, she would examine what could be improved in India.
Her comment received widespread support. One user said, "Calling our culture 3rd class while it's their ancestors who were trading humans back in time and their current president along with so many influential people are accused in the Epstein island case and the current generation is addicted to drugs. From where do they get such audacity?" Another added, "Always remember you aren't native Americans. Nobody is illegal in stolen land." A third commented, "Right wing everywhere are the same...they all are allergic to secular country....we shudnt be surprised at all."
Who is Jake Lang?
Jake Lang is a conservative activist and Florida US Senate candidate. A native New Yorker, he participated in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and spent four years in prison before being pardoned by US President Donald Trump. He had to be escorted out of the Frisco meeting after his speaking time expired, yelling, "If I lived in Texas, I would burn down one of these mosques."
Known for his controversial and extremist views, Lang has targeted American Jews and Muslims in numerous speeches. He and his followers have staged live protests in Dearborn, MI; East Plano, TX; Washington D.C.; Minneapolis, MN; and New York City. He graduated high school in Pike County, Pennsylvania in 2013 and dropped out of college after a year to become a digital entrepreneur. Public records show he tried to sell vapes and custom baseball caps online, along with consulting services for models. He also attempted to launch a social media platform called "Liberty Centric," billed as a platform for "free thinkers" with no fact-checking, no advertising, no algorithms, and no censorship.
In 2020, he claimed to have become more religious and added a political component to his path, leading him to the nation's capital during the January 6 riots with a baseball bat and riot shield. He was arrested days later and indicted on 11 counts of assaulting officers at the U.S. Capitol, among other crimes, after posting photos and videos of himself on social media. "Arrest me. You are on the wrong side of history," he captioned one video. Since then, Lang has capitalized on far-right MAGA sentiment, becoming an influencer and provocateur.
