4 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Outside Lands performer says he was tear-gassed at L.A. ICE protest: ‘They're inciting this'
Pop musician Finneas shared his harrowing experience while participating in a demonstration condemning raids in Los Angeles over the weekend on social media.
'Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they're inciting this,' he wrote on his Instagram story on Sunday, June 8.
The Grammy-winning songwriter and producer was among thousands across the city who were protesting in the streets against the recent influx of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests under President Donald Trump's administration.
Finneas is best known for producing music with his younger sister Billie Eilish, but embarked on a solo career in 2016. He has made a name for himself with his intimate alternative pop tunes, such as 'Let's Fall in Love for the Night' and 'Break My Heart Again.'
He was announced among the performers for this year's Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 10, and recently formed a duo called the Favors with his 'Till Forever Falls Apart' collaborator, San Jose singer Ashe.
His last San Francisco performance was at the Masonic in March in support of his sophomore album, 'For Cryin' Out Loud!'
After sharing his protest experience on Sunday, the musician proceeded to share a series of Instagram stories criticizing Trump's decision to send the National Guard to intervene with protests and declaring his dislike for ICE.
'If you are into this fascist s— you are small and weak and will lose,' a post that he re-shared from comedian and writer Tim Heidecker read.
A number of other public figures, including politicians and celebrities, also voiced their concern over the weekend about the Trump administration's military response and the violence it sparked.
Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman of East Bay punk rock trio Green Day, shared a video of the protests to his Instagram account, captioning it with a middle finger emoji and an ice cube in a reference to the federal agency.
Gov. Gavin Newsom shared his formal request for the Trump administration to rescind the National Guard to X on Sunday afternoon.
'We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved,' he wrote. 'This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed.'
Two more protests are scheduled for Monday, June 9 — one set for 4 p.m. outside of San Francisco City Hall, and the other for 6 p.m. at the 24th and Mission BART plaza.
