'Disrespectful' couple faces furious backlash after getting engaged during brutal 'No Kings' protest
A couple is facing major backlash after a video surfaced of their engagement - which took place in the middle of a brutal 'No Kings' protest.
The viral clip shows the pair embracing in the middle of a street in Los Angeles, just a few steps away from a line of police officers in full riot gear and mounted on horseback.
As chaos unfolds in the background, the couple shares a kiss and poses for photos, seemingly oblivious to the tense political moment surrounding them.
The engagement happened on Sunday during a 'No Kings' protest as millions rallied against what they described as President Donald Trump 's authoritarian tendencies.
Protesters had gathered to speak out against ICE, immigration policies, and what they viewed as authoritarian displays of power.
But instead of blending into the crowd, the couple's very public (and very poorly timed) engagement quickly became the main event - at least online.
Footage of the moment, which has since been shared across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram, left viewers shocked, confused, and frankly, furious.
It didn't take long for the internet to do what it does best: react.
Many users expressed that doing something like proposing in front of a line of police officers was making light of the important issues that were being protested in the first place.
'Proposals and quirky signs and cosplaying… can we actually be serious about this s**t for once,' one X user said.
'Families being ripped apart and they're focused on getting a viral moment during a protest,' another user shared.
Some users pointed out that this felt like an attention-grabbing situation, taking away from the reason why people were protesting.
'Making mass deportation and the ripping of families apart about you is WILD I don't know about y'all,' another user added.
But no matter what criticism anyone had, it all had the same general gist: it was the wrong time and place for the engagement.
Some even pointed out that it was this same attitude that brought upon the reason for protesting in the first place.
'If I were to say a lot of you "protestors" are solely going to these protests as a way to flaunt on social media and be performative about your activism and probably didn't even vote in the election thus the reason we are in this mess then what?' one user shared.
Critics said that the moment was taking attention away from the purpose of the protest
The viral proposal came amid an entire weekend of 'No Kings' protests across the country, including one in Salt Lake City that turned deadly.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, was shot and killed while attending the protest as a bystander.
Police say the gunfire came from a member of a volunteer 'peacekeeping' team who was trying to stop a man, Arturo Gamboa, from advancing into the crowd with an AR-15-style rifle.
One of the shots meant for Gamboa struck Ah Loo instead.
Gamboa, who survived, was arrested and charged with murder for his role in creating what police described as a 'grave risk of death.'
The shooting has cast a dark shadow over the protests, leaving many outraged at the performative behavior of some attendees - including the couple's viral engagement.
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