Two-man Hate Rally Fails to Find Solace Inside Mosque, Church, Starbucks

By Kayjel J. Mairena, Jake Crandall

Kayjel Mairena is a talented multimedia journalist and we are very proud to have him contribute to the Ten Four. You can support his work via Venmo here

Jake Crandall is a based Los Angeles photojournalist covering police, protest and politics. There work can be seen on Instagram or gonzotimes.org. You can support his work via Venmo here

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration with the Left Coast Right Watch. You can read the story on their website here.

LOS ANGELES — The recent wave of Islamophobic protests across the country  clashed with counter-protesters in Los Angeles on Sunday. After right-wing provocateur Eoin Richard tried organizing a “Take Back LA: Free Speech Rally” at the the Islamic Center of Southern California in Koreatown, 30 community members gathered to protect the mosque. Richard only gathered a small handful of allies, and by the end they were covered in a viscous blue liquid, frantically calling for law enforcement and asking workers at a nearby Starbucks for help.

Richard posted on Instagram on Thursday that on Aug. 23 at 1 p.m., “free speech advocates & Christian leaders will march to the Southern California Islamic Center to stand against the war on AMERICANS by Jihadist sympathizers and Antifa Terrorists.” Only one supporter arrived. When Left Coast Right Watch asked if he was “looking for other crusaders,” he replied, “yes.” The man declined to comment further.

Around 30 people stood in front of the mosque waiting for right-wing protesters and extremists. Counter-protesters stood guard at the locked front doors as people entered for prayer through the building’s side gate. At the front door, a sign read “Salam Brothers and Sisters. Please enter through the side gate for prayer. Thank you.”

Richard has for the last several years been a right-wing influencer; his work includes a failed 2026 Los Angeles Mayoral bid. He was also one of the primary figures in small protests outside of Los Angeles County’s ballot counting center as a result of false claims that Spencer Pratt’s vote total was manipulated during Pratt’s failed mayoral bid. His Spotify features electronic music and describes itself as “introspective.” His top streaming single features less than 14,000 plays and his artist page features fewer than 35 monthly listeners.

Bishop of the Diocese of the Pacific Dylan Littlefield said he arrived at the mosque to lend his support to the Muslim community after hearing about a planned demonstration by “some extreme right-wing group with some Proud Boys ties.”

“The Islamic Center has long been a friend of our church, so I decided to come and offer what support I could.” Littlefield said, continuing that he felt “sad” that he had “to be out here. Grateful that I have the opportunity to stand in solidarity with our brothers.” 

Around 2 p.m., Richard posted an Instagram story saying he’d changed the location of his rally  to Precious Blood Catholic Church, about a half-mile away. Richard claimed this was due to “threats” on his life. When counter-protesters became aware, they decided to split up. Some stayed behind defending the masjid, others went looking for Richard and his supporters. 

When confronted by counter-protesters, members of Richard’s group scattered around to record, leaving behind Richard and long-time L.A.-area right-wing provocateur, Jairo Tomico. Both Richard and Tomico began yelling about their right to free speech as people surrounded them, but the chatter ended when two women stepped outside of the hall of worship to shut a black gate that encloses the church. 

The two women repeatedly asked Richard and Tomico to leave the premises, but they continued inching toward the church’s wooden doors. Eventually, both of them barged in, sprinting towards the altar where a crucifix hung, and watched. The counter-protesters and chaos followed.

As Richard and Tomico ran through the aisles searching for an escape route, people shouted, “Take it outside. Not in the church!” Richard’s group sprinted into a small cramped room, and found a locked door. With the counter-protesters close behind, Tomico walked towards an office with people inside of it and shouted for them to call the police.

At the Church, right-wing brawler Mike Ancheta stood in front of Richard and Tomico. Previous violent incidents by Ancheta against left-wing protesters and journalists have been well-documented. Over the last several years Ancheta has fought counter-protesters of an anti-abortion rally, stalked dozens of marches and even chased an LCRW reporter during an anti-trans rally while wielding a knife.

Ancheta has worked as a security guard at several private businesses, and has been let go of at least one bar after being outed for his activities.

Surrounded, Tomico shouted, “This is the house of Jesus Christ. If you hurt anyone in here you will go to Hell.” Most people stood to the side and let them pass until Richard barged into a woman dressed in all black who was recording him, causing tensions to flare.

“Guys, so we just tried to have a free speech rally and we were literally attacked out of nowhere. Out of nowhere, for doing nothing inside of a church. We were inside of a church and we got attacked,” said Tomico in an Instagram video posted hours later. 

Richard exited the backroom and began running in between pews until he was cornered in front of the altar. Unwilling to leave the church, a man proceeded to whisk Richard off his feet and physically removed him from the building. Richard’s legs dangled and kicked in the air; Richard attempted to grab, grasp and claw onto anything he could in an attempt to remain inside.

Face-to-face with counter-protesters, Richard ran down South Occidental Boulevard where he was pepper-sprayed while running. He tripped trying to get around a parked car, and counter-protesters pepper-sprayed him again and took his phone. 

Richard sprinted to a Starbucks on the corner of South Occidental Boulevard and Hoover Street, and shouted at the workers to call the cops, and grab him some milk. Counterprotesters then entered the store, and told them not to help them because of their ties to Jake Lang.

Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist and self-described “Christian Crusader,” organizes hate-rallies targeted against Muslims. These rallies are typically attended and supported by far-right extremists, and people who believe in the Great Replacement Theory, a conspiracy theory claiming that white Americans are being deliberately replaced by non-white immigrants. Lang announced the start of his “CRUSADE AGAINST ISLAM” on Wednesday with an Instagram post, after days of terrorizing and antagonizing the heavily Muslim population of Dearborn, MI., with white nationalist rhetoric.

At a Dearborn city council meeting on Aug. 17, Lang went on a three-minute tirade in front of council members.

“Tell me that white Christians are not being invaded. How can you lie to our faces with your taqiyya,” Lang said.

“Taqiyya” is a term in Islamic religious practice that means foregoing public prayer and otherwise concealing one’s Muslim identity if doing so would put the practicing Muslim in danger of persecution. Among Islamophobic conspiracy theorists, it’s a shorthand for Muslims infiltrating and maliciously influencing western countries.

“This is an invasion on all fronts. Our people are being pushed out of the workplace. We’re being pushed out of city councils. That smug face of the taqiyya Muslims needs to be wiped off these people’s faces. These people are looking to destroy us,” Lang continued.

On August 22, Lang had organized an Islamophobic series of protests in Dearborn, MI. The protests brought out hundreds of people in support; many were armed with rifles and handguns. On Lang’s side, many of the participants had tattoos and signs identifying themselves with various militia and hate groups including Three Percenters and the Ku Klux Klan.

Several of those opposing Lang were members of the neo-Nazi group Evropean Identity [sic],  led by Trevor Raien. Evropean Identity opposes Lang because of Lang’s Jewish ancestry; though their literature claimed a goal of an alliance between their very specific White Identity politics and Islam, they’ve shared anti-Islam literature dozens of times in the past on their social media.

After sprinting into police protection, Lang and his inner circle made speeches outside of a City Council meeting. When leaving, Lang brought a charred pig’s head, and began defacing a Quran before speeding quickly atop a truck in a convoy which included a tour bus spraypainted “Deus Vult,” a Latin phrase associated with the Christian Crusades.

On Saturday, the Minneapolis Police Department arrested Lang and six of his associates for probable cause of riot, after his “Crusader Freedom of Speech Rally” ended in a violent clash between opposing sides involving a person in a Spider-Man costume. In a public information release, authorities stated Lang arrived with two vehicles that both drove onto the sidewalk adjacent to City Hall, and they slowly drove “toward a crowd gathered on the sidewalk.” A confrontation ensued, and 11 people were arrested.

Lang showed support for Richard’s “Take Back LA: Free Speech Rally” on Instagram days before his arrest, commenting “Awesome work brother” on the announcement post. 

Richard replied to Lang, “let’s goo,” with an American flag emoji attached. Following the news of Lang’s arrest, Richard posted a story on Instagram calling for the release of Lang and his associate, Jayden Scott, a far-right activist. As of publication, neither have been released from custody.

Once the Starbucks workers learned that Tomico and Richard had ties to a far-right extremist, the staff repeatedly asked both of them to leave.

Tomico and Richard refused, saying they were waiting for the police. They hunkered themselves in a corner, and sat there, being verbally accosted by counter-protesters. Tomico sat in front of Richard, shielding him from the group, while Richard unbuttoned his shirt. 

Richard used his clothing to wipe pepper-spray from his face. He rubbed the freckled dust deep into his pores with his coat, reactivating the chemical agent. Immediately, he started wincing.

Then he sprang up and shouted at the workers for milk, while waving a $100 bill. 

A cashier shrugged and told him to leave. 

Richard proceeded to berate the cashier, who stood there with a disinterested look and a slight grin. 

As Tomico and Richard argued with the cashier, a masked man entered the store. He crept up behind them and doused both of them with blue paint. Tomico and Richard darted towards the door, and the counterprotester followed them until he emptied his paint-filled plastic water bottle.  

Richard’s face was orange from the pepper spray. His clothes were stained blue from the paint. Still, the Starbucks staff refused to help him. So, he jumped behind the counter and hid between the workers. 

The masked man exited Starbucks following the commotion, only to return with more paint. 

He crept toward Tomico, a man accustomed to having his signs stolen at protests, snatched Tomico’s red “Make America Great Again” hat off his head and launched it into the crowd before pouring more paint over him. People cheered. 

The turmoil ended when police arrived. Officers escorted Richard and Tomico off the premises and into a black car to make their departure. 

Richard put out a press release on Monday that implied “national press” was part of the “mob jihadists and Antifa” that “stormed the property, threatened attendees and attacked our right to assemble and worship.”  He did not indicate whether he planned to hold another hate rally.

Richard put out a press release on Monday that implied “national press” was part of the “mob jihadists and Antifa” that “stormed the property, threatened attendees and attacked our right to assemble and worship.”  He did not indicate whether he planned to hold another hate rally.

According to a spokesperson for the LAPD, approximately 25 people showed up to the rally but there was no incident. “The only group that showed up was pro-Palestine, supporting the Islamic Center,” they said. 

LA resident Jackie Vergara went to Starbucks to pick up her order and stayed for the disarray. She said she believes the counterprotesters acted appropriately towards the right-wing provocateurs. Vergara said, “it was great to see the people gathered; journalists doing their work and holding them (Richard and Tomico) accountable.” 

“We are in LA. This is an immigrant community,” Vergara said. “Holding them accountable for whatever had happened maybe before this Starbucks interaction, I think, is fair.”