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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. A man identified by Minneapolis police as William Nicholas Love has become the focus of online attention after a Spider-Man-costumed counterprotester was seen confronting far-right activist Jake Lang during a chaotic rally outside Minneapolis City Hall.
Videos of the August 22 confrontation quickly spread across social media, showing a person dressed as Spider-Man climbing onto the back of a pickup truck linked to Lang and appearing to strike him as supporters and counterprotesters clashed around the vehicle.
Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that Love was the person in the costume, and told Newsweek : "Nicholas William Love II, 33, was arrested and booked for an alleged assault committed while he was wearing a Spider-Man costume."
As people across social media hailed the masked man a "hero," the Minneapolis Police Department added: "We confirmed who the individual is and that person was arrested for assault, so I don't know how that's a hero."
The confrontation unfolded outside Minneapolis City Hall, where Lang, a conservative activist and pardoned January 6 participant, had planned what he described as a "peaceful freedom of speech rally." The event drew a much larger crowd of counterprotesters.
Minneapolis police said officers had known about the demonstration for several weeks and developed an incident plan that included barriers outside City Hall designed to separate demonstrators from vehicle traffic.
Lang arrived around 11:50 a.m. with six associates in two vehicles. Investigators said both vehicles drove onto a sidewalk adjacent to City Hall toward a crowd gathered there, leading to an almost immediate confrontation between people associated with the vehicles and members of the crowd. Police said chemical irritants were deployed and officers were struck by thrown objects while trying to clear the area. According to police, officers immediately surrounded the vehicles and attempted to move them away from the crowd after the confrontation broke out.
Videos circulating online show a person dressed in a full Spider-Man costume climbing onto the back of a pickup truck and engaging in a physical confrontation involving Lang. The costumed individual was later pulled away and arrested by officers.
Police said William Nicholas Love, 33, was among 11 people arrested outside City Hall during the unrest. He was arrested for assault on August 22nd and has since been released from custody.
Online speculation linking Love to the Spider-Man costume intensified after multiple fundraising campaigns appeared on GoFundMe. One campaign, titled "Support Spider-Man's Legal Defense," was arranged by local man Ash Chudgar, who said: “I am raising funds for Spider-Man, a Minneapolis antifascist superhero! On August 22, 2026, Nazi provocateur Jake Lang came to our city to rally fellow racists to his cause. Community members showed up to protest, and Spider-Man was among them. Bravely defying a phalanx of MPD [Minneapolis Police Department] officers, he taught the Nazi a lesson he will not soon forget. But then! After letting the Nazi get away, the MPD officers tackled Spider-Man to the ground and arrested him!”
Chudgar has since said that he is in touch with the masked man’s family and is setting up to ensure that any money raised will go directly to him. At the time of publication, the total had reached more than $32,000.
A second GoFundMe organized by Keyssy Ayala Castro Figueroa features multiple pictures of the Spider-Man from the weekend, and a mugshot of William Nicholas Love.
This page has raised more than $10,000 and read: “I’m known as the Minnesota 'Spiderman' and I’m asking for help after a violent incident in downtown Minneapolis on August 22.”
He added: “I jumped onto the moving truck because I felt I had to do whatever I could to protect the people around me,” saying, “I am now injured and unable to perform, and this has affected both my health and my future.”
Edward Jacob Lang, 31, is a conservative activist and pardoned January 6 participant who has built a large online following around his claims about the Capitol riot and the criminal justice system. He announced last month on social media that he would be returning to City Hall to lead a “peaceful Freedom of Speech” rally.
Lang's appearance in Minneapolis drew significant opposition from counterprotesters. According to local reporting, fewer than a dozen people attended Lang's planned rally, while a much larger crowd gathered to oppose it outside City Hall.
Police arrested 11 people in connection with the events outside Minneapolis City Hall over the weekend.
Following the confrontation, Lang was among seven people arrested after two vehicles linked to his group were stopped by police. Minneapolis police said he was arrested on probable cause riot allegations and was later taken to a hospital for treatment of an apparent non-life-threatening injury unrelated to his arrest before being booked into jail.
Four additional people were arrested near City Hall, including Love, who was arrested for assault. Three officers suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries during the unrest, according to Minneapolis police.
Police also said officers later took a report from a person who alleged they had been assaulted in front of City Hall. Authorities said investigators are reviewing available evidence, including video footage, and that additional arrests or charges remain possible.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Gray R. Thomas
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