How frogs went from right-wing meme to anti-ICE protest symbol
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- Protests against the Trump administration have increasingly incorporated humor and whimsical costumes, such as inflatable frog suits, as a form of "tactical frivolity" to disarm opposition and shift public perception.
- The frog symbol, once associated primarily with the far-right Pepe the Frog meme, has been reclaimed by left-wing protesters, especially after a viral incident in Portland involving a protester in an inflatable frog costume confronting immigration officers.
- Pepe the Frog, created by artist Matt Furie as an apolitical cartoon character, was co-opted by far-right groups during Trump's 2016 campaign, but Furie has since tried to reclaim the image from extremist uses.
- Tactical frivolity uses absurdity and humor to challenge authoritarianism, protect protesters from harsh
