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

The frog has become a frequent symbol at protests against the Trump administration.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationWatch DocumentariesTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveHow frogs went from right-wing meme to anti-ICE protest symbol2 days agoShareSaveLaura BlaseyandMax MatzaShareSaveGetty ImagesImmigration agents in Portland spraying crowd control chemicals into a protester's frog costume went viral in OctoberThe revolution will not be televised, but it might have webbed feet and bulging eyes.

It also might have a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

As protests against the Trump administration continue in US cities, demonstrators are adopting the energy of a community costume parade or block party. They've taught salsa lessons, handed out snacks and ridden unicycles as armed law enforcement look on.

Mixing humour and politics - a tactic social scientists call "tactical frivolity" - is not new. But it has become a defining feature of American protest in the Trump era, embraced by both left and right.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient - the frog. It began when video footage of a confrontation between a man in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon went viral, and has since spread to protests across the country.