Large protests spread across US after Alex Pretti fatally shot by federal agents

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/protests-alex-pretti-killing-federal-agents-ice

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/42177433

Sat 24 Jan 2026 21.32 EST

Large protests spread across US cities on Saturday – including Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Providence, Rhode Island – after 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a registered nurse living in Minneapolis, was shot dead by federal agents.

The wave of demonstrations come just one day after thousands marched through the streets of Minneapolis to protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Protesters again braved the extreme cold to speak out against the agency and show support for Pretti and others who have been harmed by the surge of immigration agents who have flooded the city in recent week.

Thousands more rallied in Union Square in New York City, with footage showing demonstrators shouting: “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE!”

514 points · 65 comments · view on lemmy.world

65 Comments

Batmorous@lemmy.world · 50 pts · 215d

Protesting is good way to connect with others next step is get things done together!! The more of us that are brainstorming, strategizing, and taking action the stronger we all are!!

Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works · 21 pts · 214d

My town had their contribution today.

FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 214d

Good. Keep it up

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -124 pts · 215d (62 replies)

I mean. Small protests. Spreading is… generous.

It’s gonna be business as usual by Monday.

Yell at me to feel better, but I’ll be right on Monday.

exussum@lemmy.world · 35 pts · 215d (19 replies)

What are you doing as an alternative

Gerblat@lemmy.world · 45 pts · 215d (8 replies)

Spreading bullshit online on a brand new account

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -47 pts · 215d (7 replies)

56 total comments on a 2+ year old account and you call ME brand new? I call you an alt or a fake account.

caurvo@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 20 pts · 215d

Most normal contributors don't comment nearly as much as you. I've left probably 30 comments and 3 posts in 3 years across my (same username, different instance) accounts.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 214d

9 days old and only posts bad takes and defeatism. Hmmmmmmmmmm

Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 214d (4 replies)

Fuck off MAGAt

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -3 pts · 214d (3 replies)

Kill Trump. Can’t call me magat now honey

Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 214d (2 replies)

Oh yeah, cuz I think the shitbird who is trying to tell people that doing nothing is better than something wouldn't lie about shit to "prove" anything.

You use magat tactics, you get called a magat. Now fuck off magat.

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -1 pts · 214d

I’m not saying to no nothing. They are.

Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 18 pts · 215d (6 replies)

"Trying to get enough downvotes to cum" is my guess, I don't know why else someone would behave this way

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -35 pts · 215d (5 replies)

Do you think there will be a midterm election?

Throbbing_banjo@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 18 pts · 215d (3 replies)

WTF kind of point are you trying to make here? Sure, everything is totally fucking normal, that's why we're here talking about how normal everything is.

wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 10 pts · 214d

Look at his username, his entire reason for existing is to ragebait anyone who's discontent with the status quo.

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -32 pts · 215d (1 reply)

Answer.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 214d

How about you answer this:

Fuuuck ooooffff.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 214d

Do you think you could delete your account?

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -22 pts · 215d (2 replies)

I’m emigrating. Fuck those people.

lIlIlIlIlIlIl@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 215d

Hope it’s soon

athatet@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 214d

Emigrate yourself off the fediverse.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 31 pts · 214d (16 replies)

All this account does is go around posting defeatism.

Help us or shut the hell up.

xorollo@leminal.space · 6 pts · 214d

And a 1 week old account.

MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 214d

Russian scum.

frog_brawler@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 214d
[ removed ]
PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -29 pts · 214d (12 replies)

I am helping. I’m telling you that the current plan isn’t going to work. You trying to shut me down suggests to me that you WANT this all to go poorly.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 214d (8 replies)

You’re not. The things you post are not helpful.

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -24 pts · 214d (7 replies)

Not helpful in your opinion only. Which means nothing to me.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 214d (4 replies)

It’s a lot of peoples working knowledge that what you are doing is not helpful. Don’t try to pretend that I’m the only one calling out your bullshit.

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -17 pts · 214d (3 replies)

I think that people who try to tell me to shut up are trying to keep what’s happening, happening.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 214d

Well you’re wrong.

Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 214d

I think that people who try to tell me to shut up are trying to keep what’s happening, happening.

I think you're a self-awarewolf and you just don't realize you're talking about yourself.

tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 214d (1 reply)

If you were truly helpful you'd say something helpful instead of whatever stupid bullshit you commented. Why not comment a suggestion of a better plan then?

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -3 pts · 214d

Kill Trump.

PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 214d (2 replies)

9 day old troll account lmao

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -5 pts · 214d (1 reply)

It’s only trolling if you love maga and hate what I say. 🤷‍♂️

PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 214d

Lmao. Trolling doesn’t have political affiliations.

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 27 pts · 215d

It will NOT be all right on Monday. People will go to work outraged about this, and they'll talk about it. The MAGAs in the workplace will be EXTREMELY uncomfortable, and they should remain that way for as long as this lasts.

Things are not all right, and the mood is slowly, but inexorably, changing.

Dogiedog64@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 215d

Fuck off bootlicker.

Beeen132@feddit.org · 20 pts · 215d (3 replies)

So you gave up, okay, but it's really no good sportsmanship to demotivate the other players.

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 21 pts · 215d

Lemmy is filled with these operatives, urging us to surrender, it's too late, you're too weak, nobody will do anything, waaah!

They were all over Reddit before the election, just like this. They are Russian, or Muskian, or MAGA, and the objective is to keep us demoralized. Ignore them.

madcaesar@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 215d (1 reply)

Seriously I fucking hate people like OP.

Even if all you do is shit post online, you can still contribute by being resistant and encouraging.

Yea, you might be bitchmade not wanting to protest, but somone else more brave might go out after reading another positive comment.

These negative comments add NOTHING, except emboldening the fascists.

It's like those WW2 motivational posters, if the internet was around back then, OP would be shitting on them because "what's a poster going to do? Give a Nazi a paper cut???" - he said smugly from his mother's basement computer

leadore@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 214d

Exactly. Ignore naysayers--their agenda is to sit on their fat asses and support fascism by discouraging its enemies.

Protests help immensely. We see we aren't alone, we realize how many people feel the same as we do and join them. Strength in numbers. Not just in protests but in all the other work. Observe, film, document. Boycott bootlicker companies. Do not feed the oligarchs, do not comply.

Encourage and support each other, aid those being oppressed. Everyone can contribute however they can contribute, each action or dollar small in itself but a major force taken as a whole. Large numbers showing up in the open enables the smaller numbers working behind the scenes.

bearboiblake@pawb.social · 12 pts · 215d (1 reply)

You are probably right, there most likely won't be societal collapse over the weekend, but you know what will have changed by then?

Tens of thousands of people who are united in their anger will have come together, made contacts, gotten into local organizing groups and signal chats, learned about direct action they can participate in, and learned that there is power in numbers.

You can't get to a revolution without several protests first. Protests such as these are fundamental steps in our collective journey to dismantle capitalism. Please stop discouraging people from participating.

SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 214d

I view peaceful protesters and armed defiance to be a anvil and hammer. If the leadership doesn't allow for society's peaceful reformation, a violent revolution will be delivered down upon it.

Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 214d (14 replies)

Lol, no. We added in chants to remember Alex today. It was the 48th consecutive Sunday protest in my town against Trump, ICE, and MAGA. They will not be forgotten and it will not go away. We still had George Floyd symbols today too. Eat some butt boyo, better use for your mouth.

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -17 pts · 214d (13 replies)

Have those chants accomplished anything?

athatet@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 214d

Have you accomplished anything?

Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 214d (11 replies)

Yes

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -14 pts · 214d (10 replies)

What?

athatet@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 214d (8 replies)

Fuck off deafeatist.

PointlessProtestAgainstTheMachine@lemmy.org · -16 pts · 214d (7 replies)

Ok prole.

athatet@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 214d

This is meaningless.

Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 214d

prole

HA, magats always drop the mask when people point out they are the problem.

Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 214d

As in what have they acomplished?

Visibility, stress relief, community closeness, and a way to push back against deluded relatives. That, and people know where to find an ally if they are at risk of being dissapeared.

howl2@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 215d

The past is not always an indication of the future. Things change and the pressure is building. Germans didn't resist like this, did they? Hong kong did, but they were only one city in a country that already had an iron grip. So far they are using a mix from several previous fascist takeover playbooks. They will keep doing so. Read up now while the internet still has information on what works. Aquire a traffic cone and umbrella to keep handy, keep sunglasses or safety goggles and a whistle handy. Get your own bear spray with a holster. Connect with people.

lIlIlIlIlIlIl@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 215d

You’re weak