How frogs went from right-wing meme to anti-ICE protest symbol

December 28, 2025

Anti-Trump protesters across the United States have embraced a new form of demonstration that blends humor with political resistance through costumes and theatrical performances, a strategy scholars term "tactical frivolity. " The movement gained momentum after a viral October incident in Portland, Oregon, where an immigration officer pepper-sprayed a protester wearing an inflatable frog costume outside a federal facility. This playful protest symbol represents an attempt by left-wing activists to reclaim frog imagery from the far-right Pepe the Frog meme that became associated with Trump's 2016 campaign and white supremacist groups online.

Who is affected

Anti-Trump protesters and demonstrators in U.S. cities
Seth Todd (the Portland protester in the frog costume)
Immigration enforcement agents and officers
Matt Furie (creator of Pepe the Frog)
Right-wing groups and online communities (4chan, 8chan, Reddit users)
Portland community members and residents
Brooks Brown and co-founders of Operation Inflation
Judge Susan Graber (dissenting judge)
Law enforcement personnel monitoring protests

What action is being taken

Protesters are wearing inflatable costumes (frogs, unicorns, chickens, axolotls, dinosaurs) at demonstrations
Demonstrators are teaching salsa lessons, handing out snacks, and riding unicycles at protests
Operation Inflation is collecting and distributing inflatable costumes to protesters
The group is accepting $35 donations to purchase suits for community members
Operation Inflation is planning a "pipeline" to send supplies to other cities
Protesters are gathering outside immigration enforcement facilities

Why it matters

This represents a significant shift in American protest culture where humor and absurdity are weaponized as political tools against perceived authoritarian governance. The strategy matters because it controls the visual narrative, making violent government responses appear disproportionate and unjustified while simultaneously attracting broader public support through approachable, non-threatening imagery. The reclamation of frog symbolism from far-right groups demonstrates how contested cultural symbols can be reappropriated by opposing movements. This approach also provides crucial political cover for dissent by allowing protesters to maintain "plausible deniability" through humor, a tactic historically employed by resistance movements facing powerful opposition, from medieval times through modern authoritarian regimes. The method undermines what protesters view as authoritarian messaging without requiring explicit speeches or traditional confrontational tactics.

What's next

Operation Inflation is planning to establish a "pipeline" to send inflatable costume supplies to other cities where they have been used at protests. The group had purchased more than 350 outfits by late October and plans to continue expanding distribution.

Read full article from source: BBC