General U.S. NewsNov 8, 2026·2 min read

Conservative activists storm Deepavali celebrations in Seattle

The Hindu – International

20h ago

Conservative activists storm Deepavali celebrations in Seattle

Summary

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription Published - November 08, 2026 01:45 pm IST - Washington Conservative activists led by Jake Lang stormed Deepavali celebrations in Seattle carrying placards calling for deporting all “dot heads on November 7. | Photo Credit: x/Jake Lang Conservative activists led by Jake Lang stormed Deepavali celebrations in Seattle carrying placards calling for deporting all “dot heads”, an act that was swiftly condemned by U.S. lawmakers and community leaders. Mr. Former White House advisor Ajay Jain Bhutoria said the actions of Lang and Allen were “absolutely disgusting.” “Targeting Hindu Americans and Indian immigrants with racial slurs and conspiracy rhetoric has no place in this country. Sunita Vishwanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, said anti-immigrant sentiment has taken the form of anti-Hindu hatred extreme enough for Christian xenophobes to "storm" a Deepavali celebration in Seattle with signs like, "Deport all Dotheads." “This is as heartbreaking as the Hindutva mobs that harass Christians in India on Christmas, forcing church congregations to say 'Jai Shri Ram' at the threat of violence,” Ms. Vishwanath said in a post on X. “If we are appalled by this hateful and threatening behaviour of right-wing Christians towards Hindus, we must be equally appalled by the hate and violence that Indian Christians suffer at the hands of right-wing Hindus,” she said. “We urge the Hindu community to stay vigilant and report any suspicious or hateful activity to local law enforcement,” advocacy group HinduPACT said in a post on X. Trump lit the traditional diya at the Oval Office and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson joined the Deepavali celebrations at the Indian Consulate General in Seattle. “Washington state is proud to be home to one of the largest communities of Indian Americans in the country. During the previous decade, we had the fastest-growing Indian American population in the entire country.

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Videos of the storming of the Deepavali celebrations in Seattle went viral on social media.

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