Finneas O’Connell has said he was tear-gassed while attending a protest in Los Angeles against U.S. immigration enforcement, describing the demonstration as peaceful before it escalated.
The musician and producer, who is also Billie Eilish’s brother and long-time collaborator, shared the update on Instagram, writing: “Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they’re inciting this.”
He later reposted a message from comedian Tim Heidecker that read: “I [heart-emoji] LA. F*** ICE. F*** off all of you weekend GI Joe losers. If you are into this fascist s*** you are small and weak and will lose.”
Mr O’Connell, 27, has often used his platform to speak out on political and social issues.
The performer and Eilish, 23, have won two Oscars together — for No Time to Die in 2022 and What Was I Made For? from the Barbie soundtrack in 2024 — and were among several artists to wear badges supporting a ceasefire in Gaza at this year’s Academy Awards.
The Standard has contacted Mr O’Connell’s rep for comment.
The protest was one of several that took place across Los Angeles in response to immigration raids led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tensions escalated as National Guard troops were deployed, and what began as peaceful demonstrations gave way to clashes during a third consecutive day of unrest.
Protesters blocked off a major road and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.
Police declared an unlawful assembly in downtown LA, a warning that the crowd faced arrest if they did not disperse.
Some threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were "overwhelmed" by the remaining protesters. He added they included regular agitators who appear at demonstrations to cause trouble.
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend. One was detained on Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.
Trump responded to Mr McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks.
“Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” he wrote.
Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester”, the White House said in a statement.
The move has sparked a row as Trump’s order went against the wishes of the state of California.
Governor Gavin Newsom said he requested the Trump administration withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful.
Mr Newsom accused Trump of trying to manufacture a crisis and violating California's state sovereignty. “These are the acts of a dictator, not a President,” he wrote in a post on X.
The White House disputed Newsom's characterisation, saying in a statement that “everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness”.
