Amid the protests occurring across multiple states, one particular demonstration featured people dressed as frogs, dancing in front of an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. One woman, who filmed the dancing frogs, called it a show, criticizing its “performative” nature.
TikToker acidh4, also known as Almond Milk, who has extensively covered ICE protests and demonstrations, shared the clip online. On January 19, three people in inflatable frog costumes danced in front of the Oregon ICE facility. Almond, however, wasn’t having any of it.
“I’m sorry, but this is so performative,” she said. “Like, are we getting ICE a show, or are we protesting?“
In a follow-up TikTok, the Oregon woman then showed that the frog protestors had dispersed. Once again, she called the whole thing performative, adding to the fact that she was the only one actually standing in front of the facility.
Many shared Almond’s view, criticizing the performance, calling for other methods of protest.
“Unfortunately, peaceful protest is what they want you to do, so they can laugh at you and brush you off,” one user commented. Another one asked, “People are dying, and they’re dancing?” A third one added, “It’s not them dancing in costume, it’s the fact that you’re the only one actually in front of the building.”
Tactical Frivolity, Arrests
However, other users criticized the Oregon woman for trying to divide the anti-ICE efforts. Some even explained that the frog dancing was meant to be an instance of tactical frivolity, a form of non-violent public protest that involves humor to counter violence accusations.
“It’s a legitimate tactic in protest and has its role to play,” one user argued. Another wrote, “What we are NOT doing is dividing people who fight for the same cause.” A third said, “The whole point is to demonstrate opposition, without giving them a direct reason to escalate, or misconstrue.”
Almond also covered a sit-in in front of the Portland ICE facility. According to KOIN, many protestors, outraged by the death of Renee Good, killed by an ICE agent in Minnesota, were ultimately arrested after being showered with pepper balls.
