Additional Coverage:
- Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas claims to have gotten teargassed at Los Angeles ICE riot (irishstar.com)
Musician and producer Finneas O’Connell says he was tear-gassed by law enforcement at a protest in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. The demonstrations arose amidst growing tensions surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in the city.
“Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown,” O’Connell posted on his Instagram story. He described a chaotic scene as protests erupted in opposition to federal immigration raids and detentions.
In subsequent posts shared with his 4.5 million followers, the musician, known for his solo work and collaborations with his sister Billie Eilish, sharply criticized ICE and the federal government’s response. He reshared a post from filmmaker Dustin Drury that read, “Look at the resources they’re willing to commit to terrorize people but not feed or house people.”
O’Connell also didn’t mince words himself, posting, “F— ICE. [F—] off all of you weekend GI Joe losers.
If you are into this fascist s— you are small and weak and will lose.” He also shared a post with a hotline for GI Rights, encouraging National Guard and active-duty military personnel to resist unlawful orders.
Adding to the sense of urgency, O’Connell shared a text graphic reflecting community anxieties. “LA is afraid right now because their coworkers were kidnapped at work… a bunch of neighbors’ parents straight up never came home,” the message read. Another post featured a quote from a teacher: “If you wanted me to sacrifice my students to ICE, you shouldn’t have trained me to take a bullet for them.”
As of late Sunday night, neither LAPD nor federal authorities had publicly responded to O’Connell’s claims.