DEARBORN, Mich. — A tension-filled visit by a prominent anti-Muslim activist to Dearborn on Tuesday evening resulted in 22 arrests, though local officials applauded residents for showing "restraint" and police for keeping the situation under control.

The protest by self-described anti-Islamic activist Jake Lang drew hundreds of people, many from other communities and even other states, to Dearborn's city offices on Michigan Avenue, many waving flags and chanting "USA!"

Some attendees got into shoving matches and exchanged words about religious differences, but there were no large-scale fights. Dozens of police officers from multiple agencies were in place during the protest, many with riot gear on. Those arrested face misdemeanors such as breaching the peace and disorderly conduct.

Dearborn City Council President Michael Sareini said Wednesday he's proud of Dearborn's residents for showing restraint Tuesday evening, and of the Police Department's response that kept the situation from being worse, while protecting members of the City Council. The protest was held before Tuesday's regular council meeting.

"We had a plan that was executed flawlessly, and Dearborn won yesterday. We protected the Constitution and the laws of the state of Michigan and the laws of the United States of America, and we will do that every time," Sareini said.

The councilman said, on one hand, having to use city resources to protect Lang's hateful speech is frustrating. But he recognized that Lang, who spent four years in prison after storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has a constitutional right to express his views and said protecting that is necessary.

"We have to, because we can't pick and choose the content of the speech that we decide should be or should not be used. And I believe in that; I subscribe to that wholeheartedly," Sereini said.

Dearborn, one of Michigan's largest cities, has one of the largest concentrations of Arabs outside the Middle East.

While several attendees at Tuesday's protest said they fear the spread of Shariah law, others praised the city's diversity.

Wayne State University student Mohamed Saab said Dearborn is a city of “remarkable people” that embodies the American dream. Lang and his supporters are “merchants whose only good to sell is fear,” he said.

“It's a cheap product, and it contains an enormous margin. It requires no evidence, no argument and no acquaintance whatsoever with the person whom it's sold against. And it asks of you only one thing: that you look at a neighbor and you agree to see a stranger,” Saab said, addressing the Dearborn City Council.

Christian crusade

Throughout Lang's visit, where he addressed protesters from behind a barricade, wearing a bulletproof vest, he condemned Islam, held up pro-Christian signs and warned of a coming "Christian crusade."

Protest attendees came from all over southeast Michigan. Many declined to give their last names, but shared concerns about the spread of Islam and Sharia law. Some did Nazi salutes. Those arrested came from all over Michigan, New York and Tennessee.

Gene Bradeen, 55, traveled all the way from Kalamazoo to Dearborn to attend the protest. He said he came to exercise his right to peacefully protest. He said he worries children are being indoctrinated by Shariah law and that it’s being taught in the schools, along with pushed into the judicial system.

“This country is founded on Christian principles,” Bradeen said.

But others came to dispel inaccuracies about Muslims and Dearborn.

Mohammed Aljibory, 46, of Garden City said he came to the gathering Tuesday to try to keep the peace and persuade attendees who are Muslim or Arab not to become violent, because they’ll listen to him. Aljibory said he came in support of the United States as a U.S. Army veteran.

He said while he doesn’t hate Lang for his opinions, he doesn’t believe he represents all people or all Christians.

"Jake Lang is not representing all the people. He is representing himself," Aljibory said.

'Zero tolerance' by police

Some questioned whether the police went too far at Tuesday's protest to keep the peace. Aside from approximately 16 police officers in full riot gear — some of whom also went inside the council meeting later that night — there were also mounted police from Wayne County on horses.

Eddie Kabacinski watched as police pepper-sprayed another man near him at the protest. He called the police's response "overkill."

"This is disgusting," said Kabacinski, a veteran. " ... These guys look like they’re Roman gladiators."

Cpl. Dan Bartok with the Dearborn police warned late Tuesday that authorities would have "zero tolerance."

"We're going to have zero tolerance, just like we said from the very beginning, for any illegal behavior," Bartok said. "If any illegal behavior occurs, we will arrest those individuals, regardless of affiliation. Our goal is to have a peaceful event.”

Lang's latest visit to Dearborn

Lang — who went to prison for his role in Jan. 6 before being pardoned by President Donald Trump — has visited Dearborn at least twice before, often delivering Islamophobic tirades.

Earlier this month, he clashed with several people during a religious procession called Arbaeen in Dearborn.

Arbaeen, sometimes spelled Arba'in, is a pilgrimage of Shia Muslims to the Karbala, Iraq, shrine of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

Videos posted online appeared to show members of a crowd attacking Lang before Dearborn police officers hurried him into a squad car and ordered the crowd to disperse. The incident led to three arrests.

Dearborn police arrested two 25-year-old men — one from Detroit, the other from Dearborn — and 57-year-old Dearborn resident Abbas Abdoush, who is "a criminal illegal alien from Iraq," according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Dearborn mayor to community: 'You belong here'

After Lang addressed the Dearborn City Council on Tuesday during the public comment portion, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud spoke for several minutes about how Lang's visits have stoked fear in Dearborn. He even chose not to send his own daughter to daycare on Tuesday.

Hammoud shared an interaction with a little boy he met earlier Tuesday, who asked him if the “crusaders” were coming to kill him.

Sending a message directly to that child, “I want to boldly say, 'You belong here. You belong here as much as anyone,'" Hammoud said.

Hammoud, Dearborn's first Arab American and Muslim mayor, urged people in the community not to be afraid to be themselves, and to gather and support each other as they always do.

People like Lang are attacking something much bigger than any one religion or ideal, he said.

“They are attacking the idea that everyone can belong to America at the same time," said Hammoud, who got a standing ovation.

_____

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.