Grammy-winning artist and producer Finneas shared a harrowing experience over the weekend, revealing that he was tear-gassed while attending a peaceful protest in downtown Los Angeles. The demonstration was one of several held across the city in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants.
“Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they’re inciting this,” Finneas posted to his Instagram Story on Sunday. The 26-year-old musician, who is best known for his solo work as well as producing hits for his sister Billie Eilish, did not share additional details beyond the post, and his representatives have not yet commented further.
Finneas wasn’t alone in his outrage. Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday, marching in solidarity with immigrant communities and calling out what they described as aggressive, fear-driven tactics by ICE and federal authorities. Throughout the day, social media was flooded with videos and messages from protestors — some peaceful, others showing confrontation between demonstrators and law enforcement.
Finneas amplified several of those messages on his Instagram, including one that read, “F— ICE,” and another that stated, “If you are into this fascist s—, you are small and weak and will lose.” His posts painted a picture of a protest that started peacefully but escalated quickly, with authorities reportedly deploying tear gas and other crowd-control measures in some areas.
Tensions were heightened further when President Donald Trump announced the deployment of National Guard troops to California, specifically to assist in what the administration described as public safety efforts. The move drew swift criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who condemned the deployment and demanded that the federal government withdraw the troops.
“This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed,” Newsom wrote in a statement. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved.”
As national attention turned toward the unfolding situation in Los Angeles, other musicians also used their platforms to show support. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong posted a video on Instagram with a simple but pointed caption: the middle finger emoji paired with an ice cube — a not-so-subtle jab at the agency in question.
Despite the chaos downtown, officials confirmed that the BET Awards — scheduled for Monday night at the Peacock Theater in LA — would still proceed as planned. A spokesperson for BET reassured attendees and viewers, stating that the network remains “committed to the safety of our guests and staff” and is working closely with local authorities to monitor the situation.
For Finneas and many others, Sunday’s protest served as a stark reminder of the tensions surrounding immigration policy and civil unrest in the United States. As he put it in his own words, the escalation wasn’t coming from the people — but from those responding to them.