Udo Kier, German acting legend, dies at 81

Bettina Baumann

DW

November 24, 2025

Working with global directors from Lars von Trier to Gus Van Sant, German actor Udo Kier was a mainstay of international cinema since the 1960s. He died in California this week at the age of 81.

With his angular features and ice-blue eyes, German actor Udo Kier's face was unmistakable. In over 200 films, he played everything from Adolf Hitler to monsters and vampires. With a repertoire ranging from high-end pulp to art house films and blockbusters, he frequently starred alongside Hollywood greats.

Kier enjoyed widespread acclaim for his leading role in the 2021 film "Swan Song," in which he played Pat, a gay hairdresser living in a nursing home who gives his all for one last important job.

Friendship with Lars von Trier

Kier had a close working relationship with Danish director Lars von Trier. They collaborated for the first time in 1988 on the iron age epic "Medea," and Kier was later involved in von Trier's hit productions "Melancholia" (2011) and "Nymphomaniac" (2013).

'Swan Song' starred Udo Kier as Pat, an aging gay hairdresser who returns to his home country to prepare a former star client for her graveImage: Magnolia Pictures/Everett Collection/picture alliance

The Dane so trusted Kier that the actor was allegedly able to choose any role from a script. He most often went for characters that evoked humor, Kier told German newsmagazine Der Spiegel in 2014.

A lucky man

Kier once said that luck was to thank for his acting career — and the fact that he even survived his infancy.

Kier and his mother were buried under rubble in a World War II bombing raid shortly after he was born in Cologne in 1944. Miraculously, his mother was able to free them both from the wreckage.

After leaving school, Kier trained as a wholesale clerk and then worked on the assembly line at car manufacturer Ford.

With the money he earned, Kier decided to fly to London, where he met Italian director Luchino Visconti and actor Helmut Berger in a bar — his first contacts in the film industry.

In 1966, Kier made his first film appearance in the British comedy "Road to St. Tropez" as a heartthrob seducer. He became much better known in the early 1970s with lead roles in the cult Andy Warhol horror films "Blood for Dracula" and "Flesh For Frankenstein."

In 'Flesh For Frankenstein,' Udo Kier was able to showcase his singular charisma

Image: Courtesy Everett Collection/picture alliance

Work with Fassbinder

In Germany, Kier worked closely with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, with whom he was also friends and lived with for a time in Munich. Together they made the crime miniseries "Berlin Alexanderplatz" (1980) and the feature film "Lili Marleen" (1981), among others. Fassbinder's sudden death in 1982 affected Kier deeply.

In the 1980s, Kier frequently worked with Christoph Schlingensief. In 1986, he appeared in Schlingensief's "Egomania: Island Without Hope," and in 1996, he played a gay UN general in Africa in "United Trash."

His breakthrough in Hollywood came in 1991 with "My Own Private Idaho," a film about the lives of two hustlers, Mike (River Phoenix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves).

Director Gus Van Sant approached Kier in Berlin. The actor once explained that he generally did not ask directors for roles himself.

Kier starred in 'My Own Private Idaho' in 1991Image: Fine Line Features/Everett Collection/picture alliance

Kier is also known for the diversity of his film roles, from the lead in the 1998 blockbuster superhero film "Blade" to the 2012 appearance in "Iron Sky" — a low-budget pulp film about Nazis who colonize the dark side of the moon.

Patron of the arts

Kier's other passion was art, having grown up in Cologne when artists Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter and Rosemarie Trockel were on the rise. David Hockney was one of his best friends.

Kier was one of the few people to know the anonymous street artist Banksy personally. At his home in Palm Springs, California, he collected works by Joseph Beuys, Peter Lindbergh and Wolfgang Tillmans — some with the dedication "For Udo."

Kier performed in 'Berlin Alexanderplatz,' the acclaimed 1980 series

 directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Image: Sammlung Richter/picture alliance

But he also collected cheap paintings simply because he liked them. The documentary "Arteholic" (2014, directed by Hermann Vaske) was a cinematic monument to Kier as a great art lover, portraying him in encounters with works of art and artists, including Trockel and Jonathan Meese.

Old age, new narratives

Kier worked well into his old age. In 2020, he made the series "Hunters" with Al Pacino, and in 2021, the fantasy horror thriller "The Blazing World." The following year, he shot "AEIOU — A Quick Alphabet of Love" with his good friend, director Nicolette Krebitz.

Even at almost 80 years old, Kier was open to new narrative forms, playing a character in the upcoming video game "OD" by Hideo Kojima, which explores the boundaries between film and gaming. In 2025, he appeared in Kleber Mendonca Filho's neo-noir thriller, "The Secret Agent."

Kier died on November 23 at the age of 81 in a hospital in Palm Springs, California.

This article was originally written in German.

Turn It Up: Hero With A Hero Is Icing On the Cake

Sandwich Guy art on K Street in D.C.
Photo by Franziska Wild

Further
Abby Zimet
Nov 08, 2025

COMMON DREAMS


Hope glimmers. After an election that saw “democrats in array” rising up to thunderously repudiate anything connected with a doddering tyrant - “Apparently Americans liked the East Wing more than anyone thought” - the final small sweet revenge was a jury acquitting D.C.'s valiant Sandwich Guy for the crime of making it pellucidly clear, with mustard, he doesn’t want stormtroopers in his town. One sage: “The only way this week could’ve been better for America was if Dick Cheney died again.”

On Tuesday, voters came out in sometimes record numbers - New York saw its highest turnout in over 50 years - to reject MAGA cruelty, inequity and greed, and win “just everything.” New Jersey and Virginia saw double-digit wins for women governors - a veteran and former CIA officer - reflecting a failure of anti-trans bigotry and resurgence of Democrats’ big tent. There were comparable wins from Connecticut and Pennsylvania to Mississippi and Georgia. Maine overwhelmingly rejected an effort to restrict mail-in voting, Colorado willingly raised taxes on the rich to fund school lunches, California’s re-districting Prop. 50 passed by an almost 2 to 1 margin; Newsom showed how to fight Trump - “After poking the bear, this bear roared” - and urged other states to also “meet this moment head-on.”

Most thrillingly, New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani evinced “the way to win is to include everyone. All everyone,” and he did in an off-off year yet. One analyst: “Republicans raved every Democrat was Zohran Mamdani, and Americans said, ‘Sign me up.'” In Mamdani’s electrifying speech - Eugene Debs! - to an exultant crowd, he rebuffed a politics that has “bowed at the altar of caution (and) paid a mighty price...Too many working people cannot recognize themselves in our party.” “We chose hope together,” he said. “We won because we insisted that no longer would politics be something that is done to us. Now, it is something that we do...New York will (be) a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.” To Trump: “To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”

He and his vassals will also have to exit the alternative reality bubble - and immense cognitive dissonance - revealed this week in Miami, where Trump spoke at an opulent America Business Forum to billionaires from Saudi Arabia to Silicon Valley. As Republicans lost every election in sight, the government shutdown became the longest in history, and 42 million people, including 3 million in Florida, faced hunger, the assembled tycoons paid $2,000 - but got a $50 gift card for food - to hear a vengeful old man babble, ramble, boast, confuse “Communist” South Africa with South America, and nonetheless gloat about the “economic miracle” he’d delivered to usher in a reeling America’s “golden age.” Like the tawdry Great Gatsby party he held, “They just can’t seem to stop doing things shockingly out of touch.”

Meanwhile, per the advice of his ghoulish mentor Roy Cohn, Trump is using the courts as a “personal cudgel” against his perceived enemies. Along with terrorizing blue cities, prosecutors have gone after over 20 anti-ICE protesters, often with “impeding” charges. In Chicago, prosecutors charged primary candidate Kat Abughazaleh with “conspiracy” after roughing her up at a protest. In L.A., a goon shot Carlos Jimenez, absurdly claiming self-defense, after he tried to warn marauding troops that kids were coming out of a school. In Chicago, head Nazi Greg Bovino, who’s told ICE thugs to arrest anyone who makes “hyperbolic” comments, charged a protester with giving him a groin injury purportedly requiring a two-week leave to recover; prosecutors just dropped the case after video, shockingly, showed they lied.

And so it goes. Mostly, the fascists, being inept, lose. (GOP) Judge Karin Immergut just permanently blocked Trump from inflicting “all necessary troops” on “war-ravaged” Portland OR after finding “no credible evidence” there was need for them and insisting “the facts - not the President’s political whims - guide how the law is applied.” Ouch. Still, the most failures have been earned by laughably unqualified US Attorney Jeanine “Boxwine” Pirro, who keeps trying and failing to get grand juries - seven at this point - to indict the proverbial ham sandwich. Her latest and most public effort to “turn a gag-gift-worthy moment into a federal criminal offense” was the case of folk hero, Air Force veteran and former DOJ attorney Sean Dunn, 37, who “brought a sandwich to a fascism fight” - specifically, a salami sub - and won.

In the infamous case of “the hoagie heard around the world,” Dunn, in a pink shirt and holding a just-bought, now-historic sub, confronted troops skulking on a downtown DC corner, reportedly about to raid a gay club there. He yelled they were fascists who should get out of his town; then he got in the face of 23-year-veteran Border Patrol agent Gregory Lairmore, yelled some more, hurled his sub at Lairmore’s bullet-proof-vested chest, and took off running. Thugs gave chase, caught and handcuffed him, and released him without charges. But for the “retaliatory animus” of the thin-skinned toddler in power, it would’ve ended there. Instead, video of the encounter went viral, the toddler got pissed, and a SWAT team went to Dunn’s apartment, complete with pulpy heavy-metal video of the action, to arrest him.

Insisting on the preposterous narrative Dunn was pretty much the Zodiac killer and not a guy who threw some bread, Pirro theatrically announced felony assault charges against him: “This guy thought it was funny. Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today.” An equally off-the-wall Pam Bondi chimed in, raving about “assault on a law enforcement officer” and claiming Dunn was “an example of the Deep State” (who worked at the DOJ). Pirro tried to get a grand jury to indict him; they (hilariously) declined, but she finally got a misdemeanor charge to stick. And so to the federal jury trial starting Tuesday - in rare poetic justice, the day after National Sandwich Day - to protect our brave troops from food fights and send the dubious message to a restive populace: “Mess with this government, and it will mess with you.”

Presiding over what he called “the simplest case in the world” was US District Judge Carl Nichols. And it should have been, especially since the perp, at the scene of the crime, had already confessed, boldly proclaiming, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.” Still, it took two days and much bickering as the jury of 12 of Sandwich Guy’s peers struggled to remain straight-faced during what one observer called “a strange sort of performance art,“ both amusing and menacing. The opening statements clearly laid out both sides’ differences. Defense: ”He did it. He threw the sandwich.“ Also, so what: See First Amendment.” The government: “No matter who you are, you can’t just go around throwing stuff at people if you’re mad.” Also poor traumatized Officer Lairmore, who was just protecting the public, from sandwiches.

There was squabbling over words in a charge that cites “forcibly opposing, impeding or interfering” with federal agents on duty. What’s “forcibly”? Defense: A sandwich doesn’t constitute force any more than “an eight-year-old throwing a stuffed animal in the middle of a temper tantrum.” Prosecution, leaning hard into bellicose language: “Here we have the defendant throwing - it’s a sandwich, but throwing it hard...at point-blank range...He takes the sandwich, he cocks it back.” There’s the “impact” through the vest. Also, it’s not just a sandwich; there was “screaming,” “cussing,” “attempting to instigate.” (The judge reminds the jury speech isn’t assault). And, like an IED in Fallujah, prosecutors note the victim’s harrowing testimony the sandwich “kind of exploded. I could smell the onions and mustard.” The horror! The horror!

Meanwhile, Sandwich Guy sits in the cafeteria on lunch break, eating soup. A friend’s GoFundMe for him - “Help support the Sandwich Guy” - notes his ten years of service in Afghanistan, the Forest Service, the DOJ: “He is proud of his career serving the people of the United States.” Back in the courtroom, defense attorney Sabrina Shroff shreds Lairmore’s claim the sandwich “exploded” with video showing said sandwich still wrapped on the sidewalk. “Do you recognize that sandwich?” she asks. Lairmore waffles. Shroff: “You don’t see there’s mustard on it?” Lairmore wilts. No. “You can’t tell there’s ketchup on it?” No. “Mayonnaise? Lettuce? Tomato? No. ”In fact, the sandwich hasn’t exploded at all has it?“ Lairmore, helpfully, ”It looks like a little bit is coming out towards the bottom.“

Shroff also cited two “gag gifts” Lairmore said, sheepishly smiling, he got from co-workers: A plush sandwich he put on his shelf at work and a cartoon patch of Dunn throwing the sandwich, with the words “Felony Footlong,” he put on his lunchbox. So much for trauma, she suggested. Her closing argument was fiery. “This case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is about a sandwich,” she declared. “A sandwich that, according to agent Lairmore, somehow both exploded on his chest in a spray of onions and mustard, but also landed intact on the ground still in its Subway wrapping.” Most vitally, she argued, a sandwich cannot be a weapon worthy of federal charges, especially facing off against a bulletproof vest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiLorenzo glumly dissented: “We’re not just talking about a sandwich.”

Social media lapped up the coverage. They “relished” the testimony, they argued it “didn’t pass mustard,” they called Lairmore’s claim “baloney.” They summoned “12 Hungry Men.” Asked, “Do you see the sandwich seated in the courtroom today?” Argued, “If the sub doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” Snarled, “Say hello to my foot-long friend.” Asked, “Show us on this doll where the sandwich touched you.” Mused, “Not all gyros wear capes.” Insisted, “I did not have a relationship with that sandwich.” Proclaimed, “Liberte! Egalite! Panini!” When the verdict came Thursday - with every juror voting for acquittal - they celebrated Sandwich Guy “beat the wrap,” “justice, like a good sandwich, was served,” and, like them, an anti-fascist jury looked at the video, decided what mattered, and essentially said “what sandwich?”Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Shroff thanked jurors for their "affirmation" that dissent is "not just tolerated." "It is legal," she declared, "and it is welcome." Sandwich Guy also thanked the jurors, as well as "family and friends and strangers for all of their support, whether it was emotional or spiritual or artistic or financial." "I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything," he said. "That night I believed that I was protecting the rights of immigrants...Let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says ‘E pluribus unum.’ That means ‘from many, one.’ Every life matters no matter where you came from. No matter how you got here, no matter how you identify, you have the right to live a life that is free." A nation salutes you. Warren Zevon would have too: "Enjoy every sandwich."

Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Shroff thanked jurors for their "affirmation" that dissent is "not just tolerated." "It is legal," she declared, "and it is welcome." Sandwich Guy also the jurors, as well as "family and friends and strangers for all of their support, whether it was emotional or spiritual or artistic or financial." "I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything," he said. "That night I believed that I was protecting the rights of immigrants...Let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says ‘E pluribus unum.’ That means ‘from many, one.’ Every life matters no matter where you came from. No matter how you got here, no matter how you identify, you have the right to live a life that is free." A nation salutes you. Warren Zevon would have too: "Enjoy every sandwich."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.


Abby Zimet
Abby Zimet has written CD's Further column since 2008. A longtime, award-winning journalist, she moved to the Maine woods in the early 70s, where she spent a dozen years building a house, hauling water and writing before moving to Portland. Having come of political age during the Vietnam War, she has long been involved in women's, labor, anti-war, social justice and refugee rights issues. Email: azimet18@gmail.com
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'Should have known better': Ex-US attorney hammers Jeanine Pirro over Sandwich Guy 'waste'

FOX TV JUDGE 

Adam Nichols
November 8, 2025 

RAW STORY

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ferris Pirro speaks during a press conference  REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon



An ex-US attorney slammed a current one Saturday for adamantly pursuing a farcical case she said should never have been prosecuted.

Barbara McQuade wrote for MSNBC about the case of Sean Dunn, an Air Force veteran who threw a Subway sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent, which she wrote had become a striking example of prosecutorial overreach and resource misallocation.

And President Donald Trump's pick for Washington, D.C. US attorney, ex-Fox star Jeanine Pirro, was hammered for heading the investigation.

"Pirro should have known better than to file assault charges because the facts didn’t satisfy the elements of the offense," McQuade wrote in a column titled, "US Attorney Jeanine Pirro wasted our money pursuing sandwich thrower."

"To prove an assault under the federal statute, the prosecution must establish not just that Dunn threw the sandwich at the agent, but that the act constituted a 'forcible assault.'"

A Subway sandwich bouncing off an agent clad in body armor certainly didn't meet that standard, she wrote.

Dunn admitted to throwing the sandwich as an act of protest against President Trump's federal law enforcement surge into Washington, D.C. The jury ultimately agreed with his defense, returning a not-guilty verdict.

The prosecution's case hinged on proving a "forcible assault," which legally requires demonstrating a "reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm." However, the evidence and testimony made this claim seem ridiculous, McQuade wrote.

She wrote that defense attorney Sabrina Shroff masterfully dismantled the prosecution's argument, declaring, "A footlong from Subway could not and certainly did not inflict bodily harm." When Dunn threw the sandwich, it hit the agent's bulletproof vest, prompting laughter in the courtroom when the agent testified about sandwich "explosions" and condiment stains.

Shroff's closing argument was particularly pointed: "If the vest is designed to protect an agent from gunfire, it is definitely going to keep you safe from a sandwich."

Pirro defended the prosecution, stating, "Even children know when they are angry, they are not allowed to throw objects at one another." However, the article argues that not every inappropriate action warrants criminal charges.

But McQuade wrote the prosecution's approach raised serious questions about resource allocation. The federal government invested significant time and effort in a high-profile arrest, even posting video of Dunn's arrest on social media - a violation of Justice Department policy.

Dunn had already suffered professional consequences, losing his job as a paralegal at the Department of Justice. The criminal prosecution seemed unnecessary and potentially distracting from more serious cases that might have gone unaddressed, McQuade wrote

DC “Sandwich Guy” Who Threw Sub at CBP Agent Acquitted on Fed Assault Charges

The immigration agent claimed that the harmless sub had “exploded” on his bulletproof vest.

By Chris Walker ,

Truthout

November 7, 2025

An art piece depicting an individual throwing a sandwich is seen on August 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C.Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images

Ajury in Washington, D.C. has acquitted Sean Dunn, the man who was accused of assaulting a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer by throwing a “sub-style sandwich” at him.

The case was handled by the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host and staunch ally of President Donald Trump. Her office had originally sought to have Dunn charged with felony assault, but after a federal grand jury rejected that idea, prosecutors aimed to charge him with a misdemeanor.

Although typically a rare occurrence, several cases in Washington D.C. have been rejected by grand juries, seen as being overreaches on the part of Trump’s Justice Department.

Dunn, who became known as the “D.C. Sandwich Guy,” became somewhat of a local folk hero following news of the sandwich throw. Several memes of the incident appeared online, and graffiti depicting him throwing the sub appeared around D.C.

Dunn has admitted to throwing the sandwich, with his lawyers arguing it was a protest gesture during a demonstration against President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown in D.C. in early August. The prosecution had reportedly embellished the extent to which Dunn’s actions affected the CBP agent, Gregory Lairmore, claiming that the hoagie was thrown violently, at “point-blank range.”

Lairmore testified that the sandwich had “exploded all over my uniform” and that he had “mustard and condiments” on him, including “an onion hanging from my radio antenna” following the incident — a testimony that was lambasted on social media shortly after it became public.

Following the sandwich toss, federal agents chased Dunn through the streets and temporarily detained him. He was released, but arrested at his home later on.

The depiction of events surrounding the sandwich throw was challenged during the trial — pictures of the offending sandwich after the incident occurred showed that it was still in its wrapper, on the ground, after it hit Lairmore’s bulletproof vest.

Dunn’s defense lawyer also noted that Lairmore and his colleagues later joked about the event, with his coworkers buying him gag gifts like a plush toy sandwich, demonstrating that the incident wasn’t a major event in the officer’s life, as the prosecution had depicted.

“They’re joking about it with each other, and they’re joking about it with Agent Lairmore. Why? Because they think it’s funny,” defense attorney Sabrina Shroff said.

After several hours of deliberation, the jury came to the conclusion that Dunn had not committed a criminal offense. In response to the outcome of the case, Dunn relished the fact that he was acquitted.

“I’m relieved, and I’m looking forward to moving on with my life,” Dunn said. “I am so happy that justice prevails, in spite of everything happening.”

Polling in the nation’s capital showed overwhelming opposition to President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city, with one survey showing that 79 percent of D.C. residents were opposed to the action. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month shows that Americans are also opposed to militarization of U.S. cities more broadly, with nearly 3 in 5 respondents (58 percent) saying troops should only be sent to areas that face an external threat.

‘He Beat the Wrap’: Sandwich-Hurling DC Protestor Found Not Guilty of Assault

“No assault with a deli weapon after all,” joked one reporter after the verdict.


Banksy-style posters depicting a protester throwing a sandwich at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appear in the Georgetown neighborhood on August 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

Brad Reed
Nov 06, 2025
COMMON DREAMS


Sean Dunn, the former US Department of Justice employee who was famously hurled a sandwich at Customs and Border Protection officers this past summer, has been found not guilty on misdemeanor assault charges.

Jurors acquitted Dunn on Thursday after deliberating for several hours after his trial ended on Wednesday afternoon. According to CNN, Dunn told reporters after the verdict that he was “relieved and looking forward to moving on with my life.”

‘How Is That an Assault?’ DC Residents Scoff as Trial Starts for Man Who Chucked Sandwich at Trump Agent

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro had originally tried to charge Dunn with felony assault, but lowered the charge to a misdemeanor offense after a grand jury in Washington, DC refused to indict him.

Dunn was caught on camera angrily throwing a sandwich at federal immigration enforcement officers back in August, and he could be heard calling the officers “fascists,” and telling them they were not welcome in his city.

Shortly afterward, Pirro vowed to throw the proverbial book at Dunn for his food-tossing transgression.

“He thought it was funny,” Pirro said in a video she posted on social media. “Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today because we charged him with a felony. And we’re gonna back the police to the hilt! So, there. Stick your Subway sandwich somewhere else.”

Dunn’s case became a cause célèbre for many Washington, DC residents who have opposed President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and to conduct aggressive immigration raids in their city.
Many journalists reacted to news of Dunn’s acquittal by deploying a number of sandwich-related puns.

“Apparently you can indict a ham sandwich but you can’t convict turkey sub,” joked tech journalist Kara Swisher in a post on Bluesky.

“You could say he... beat the wrap,” wrote Los Angeles-based independent journalist Mel Buer.

“If the hoagie didn’t hit, you must acquit!” wrote The Bulwark’s Sam Stein on X.

“No assault with a deli weapon after all,” remarked Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey.

“Congratulations, US Attorney Pirro, for making Sean Dunn the hero that DC deserves,” wrote journalist Marcy Wheeler.

“Another jury finds another Trump DOJ case sub-par,” wrote Adam Klasfeld, editor-in-chief of All Rise News.

Local hero: ‘DC sandwich guy’ found not guilty of assaulting officer with sub

By AFP
November 6, 2025


Sean Dunn (2nd from left) was arrested after throwing a sandwich at federal law enforcement in protest against Trump's crackdown on crime, with his act of defiance going viral on social media - Copyright AFP JUSTIN TALLIS

Asad HASHIM

A US man charged with using a sandwich to assault a law enforcement officer was acquitted Thursday after a jury decided that charges brought by President Donald Trump’s prosecutors were baloney.

The prosecution made a surprise local hero of 37-year-old Sean Dunn, who was protesting Trump’s shock takeover of law enforcement in the capital Washington.

He was accused of flinging a “sub-style sandwich” at an armed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent on August 10 in a busy nightlife district after shouting expletives at the officer.

The officer was part of a huge crackdown ordered by Trump, with multiple agencies and troops deploying in Washington and several other Democratic-run cities, ostensibly to fight what the Republican president says are crime waves and anarchy.

Prosecutors wanted serious felony charges, but a grand jury refused to indict Dunn — a rare occurrence. A misdemeanor charge was filed and Dunn faced a maximum of one year in prison if convicted.

While prosecutors ultimately proved ham-fisted, Dunn had appeared to be in a serious pickle.

Right after hurling his sandwich he was chased down, then released, only to be arrested in a raid on his home that was publicized by the White House.

As video of the initial altercation went viral, Dunn was quickly dubbed “DC sandwich guy,” becoming a symbol of resistance to Trump. Stylized images of him in mid-sandwich-attack appeared on posters, graffiti, T-shirts and even a popular Halloween costume.

Trump’s much-touted crime crackdown has seen an increase in arrests and indictments, but US media analysis of the data shows much of that has come from pursuing minor offenses in court.

The top Trump-appointed prosecutor for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, has pursued maximum penalties for all arrests since taking office, including in the Dunn case.

Dunn was a paralegal at the Justice Department at the time of the altercation and was fired from his position.

On Monday, as proceedings opened, Judge Carl J. Nichols noted that he expected the trial to be a short one as “this is the simplest case in the world.”

Dunn’s defense did not dispute that he threw the sandwich at the officer, instead arguing that his action did not constitute an offense, and that the charges against him were a “blatant abuse of power.”

Much of the case centered on the definition of key terms, including whether the throwing of a soft object constitutes an act that is “forcible,” and whether Dunn’s action impeded the officer in the conduct of their duties.

On the first day of court proceedings, the defendant, dressed in a black-and-white patterned sweater, appeared subdued as his defense team engaged in feverish consultation.

Dunn’s defense has contended that he was being selectively prosecuted due to his political views, having called the federal officers “fascists” before he threw the sandwich

Sandwich thrown by protester 'exploded' and left mustard stain on border agent, court hears

IT REMAINED WRAPPED, CBP LIES!

Kayla Epstein

BBC
November 6, 2025


moment a sandwich is thrown at federal agent in Washington DC


A US immigration agent has testified he could feel through his ballistic vest the impact of a sandwich hurled at him by a Washington DC protester, who has gone on trial for assault.

Customs and Border Patrol agent Gregory Lairmore told the jury the snack "exploded all over him" and he "could smell the onions and mustard" on his uniform.

Neither side disputes that Sean Dunn, 37, did in fact lob obscenities and a deli-style sandwich at officers deployed by President Donald Trump to patrol the nation's capital in August. But Mr Dunn's lawyer argues it was not a criminal act.

The incident was captured on video and went viral, making Mr Dunn a symbol of opposition in Washington DC to Trump.

Government prosecutors initially tried to secure felony charges against Mr Dunn, but a grand jury declined to indict him. Prosecutors have instead charged him with a lower-level misdemeanour assault.

Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Washington DC this summer sparked outrage from some of the city's residents, who saw it as a politicisation of the military. The White House argued the forces were necessary to crack down on crime.

According to charging documents, Mr Dunn approached a group of officers at about 23:00 on 10 August, calling them "fascists" and shouting: "Why are you here? I don't want you in my city!"

The court witnessed a re-enactment from Mr Lairmore on Tuesday as he took the stand to testify against Mr Dunn.

"I could feel it through my ballistic vest," he said of the sandwich's impact, adding that an onion string hung from his police radio and mustard stained his shirt.

Mr Dunn's lawyer, Julia Gatto, said in her opening statement that hurling the sandwich was a "harmless gesture that did not, could not, cause injury".

But prosecutor John Parron said Mr Dunn must be held accountable.

"No matter who you are, you can't just go around throwing stuff at people because you're mad," Mr Parron said, according to the New York Times.

After the alleged assault came to light, Mr Dunn was fired from his job as a paralegal in the Department of Justice.

Getty Images

A man, who was later arrested for assaulting law enforcement with a sandwich, interacts with Border Patrol and FBI agents along the U Street corridor on 10 August.

 

'Saint or Sinner'? British artist Mason Storm crucifies Donald Trump in sculpture on show in Basel

Copyright X screenshot - Basler Kunstmeile / Mason Storm

By David Mouriquand

Published on 05/11/2025 - EURONEWS

Hero or villain? Martyr or criminal? “Saint or Sinner”?

A hyperrealistic sculpture depicting Donald Trump nailed to a cross while wearing an orange prison jumpsuit has gone on display at the Basler Kunstmeile in Switzerland, weeks after its debut near Basel Central Station was postponed over fears of public backlash.

The sculpture, titled “Saint or Sinner”, is by British artist Mason Storm, who is celebrated for his satirical and often politically charged art. And like Banksy, he cultivates a sense of anonymity by wearing masks and balaclavas.

Here, he plays on the dichotomy between a vertical crucifixion and a horizontal execution gurney, leaving a provocative space where religion and politics mix to better question whether the current US president deserves entry to heaven or a lethal injection.

The sculpture is eerily realistic – something which Konrad Breznik, owner of the Gleis 4 gallery, marvels at

“You can see every wrinkle, the skin is so realistic, it's really disturbing,” he told AFP.

Breznik even said he believed that Trump might actually appreciate the piece.

“I do absolutely think that Mr Trump might see himself very well in the role of a modern Jesus,” he said. “I’m pretty sure he is very much convinced that he is doing the right thing.”

Appropriately, Trump himself said last month, aboard Air Force One: "I don't think there's anything that's going to get me into heaven. I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound."

Well, there we have it, folks.

Whether or not the artwork could be exhibited in the US remains another matter... It has already sold to an “internationally renowned” European collector, whose name remains confidential, according to the gallery.

Texas Judge Overrules Jury to Send Anti-Genocide Activist to Jail for Graffiti

Now, as Raunaq Alam’s team attempts to appeal the judge’s decision, he reportedly continues to be targeted.

By Marwa Elbially , 

Truthout

September 26, 2025

A Banksy mural depicting a judge beating a protester on the outside of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England, on September 9, 2025.

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

THIS WAS COVERED UP BY SECURITY THE SAME DAY


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The artist Banksy recently drew a mural at the Royal Courts of Justice in London depicting a judge in a traditional wig and a black robe, thrashing an unarmed protester with his gavel. The protester is lying on the ground in a defensive position, with one hand raised, while the other hand holds up a blank sign splattered with blood — the only red in the otherwise black-and-white mural. A judge promptly directed for it to be removed, only further highlighting the mural’s message regarding free expression.

A similar form of state repression, cloaked in the black robes of “justice,” was recently on display in Tarrant County, Texas, where the full power of the state and judiciary came pummeling down upon anti-genocide activist Raunaq Alam.

In March 2024, Alam was charged with a Class B misdemeanor of graffiti with a pecuniary loss of less than $750 for allegedly spray painting Uncommon Church’s exterior wall with “F*** ISRAEL.” The maximum custodial penalty for a Class B misdemeanor is 180 days in jail. This represents the lowest penalty range for offenses that result in jail time. But in a move that should chill free speech advocates everywhere, the county eventually brought new charges against Alam, including a hate crimes enhancement that could have led to 10 years in prison.

At the time of Alam’s alleged spray-painting, Uncommon Church was flying the State of Israel’s flag outside its building. Months before the graffiti was painted, the church posted a photograph of its pastor, Brad Carignan, alongside 11 Israeli soldiers carrying automatic weapons, on Facebook. The caption stated, “Pastor Brad made it safely to (near) the frontline to bring clean socks, sleeping bags and encouragement to the Israeli troops.”

The case took place in Tarrant County, the third-largest county in Texas and a bellwether for both the state and the nation. A demographic shift has helped transition the county from a once-reliable Republican stronghold to an electoral battleground, and the far right has expended significant resources to maintain its political footing there.

Related Story

Op-Ed |
In Gaza City, I Have Been Rendered Homeless in My Homeland
After our apartment was bombed, we tried to flee south but failed, returning to our ruined home only to be bombed again. By Dalia Abu Ramadan , Truthout September 24, 2025

Before the Texas legislature began its mid-decade redistricting effort this summer to dilute the voting power of people of color, County Judge Tim O’Hare blazed the trail, providing a test case for redrawing electoral maps in an off-census year. The new maps, which passed 3-2 along party lines, gerrymandered Commissioner Alisa Simmons, the only Black woman on the court, out of her district.

O’Hare also passed new rules of decorum to minimize dissent and quash protected speech during commissioner court meetings. Under this policy, people have been arrested, charged, and prosecuted.

It was in this climate that Alam’s case was presented to a grand jury for indictment in October 2024, seven months after the original misdemeanor was filed. The new charge alleged Alam had caused damage between $750 and $30,000, raising it from a misdemeanor to a state jail felony, which carries a maximum punishment of two years in jail. That indictment also included the hate crime enhancement, which, if found true, would increase the penalty range to a third-degree felony, carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison.

The political show trial was manufactured to criminalize speech by conflating legitimate criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism. The case was originally filed in County Criminal Court No. 5. Months later, it was transferred to County Criminal Court No. 9, Judge Brian Bolton’s court. Even when the case was indicted to a felony and the case was transferred to a felony district court, Judge Bolton was assigned to proceed over the trial. Though legal, it is unusual for a misdemeanor judge to preside over a felony trial. Further, First Assistant Prosecutor Lloyd Whelchel, an attorney with 29 years of experience who routinely handles death penalty prosecutions, represented the state once Alam was indicted. The jury trial was scheduled so the closing arguments and a possible verdict would be rendered on September 11, 2025. This was no run-of-the-mill prosecution; from the onset, even a cursory façade of neutrality was not afforded.

Months earlier, the same duo — Whelchel and Bolton — were involved in the prosecution of Carolyn Rodriguez, a local cop watcher charged with hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct. Rodriguez was ordered out of Commissioner’s Court by O’Hare after using expletives to challenge the new decorum rules and unlawful restriction of protected speech. Judge Bolton ruled that the prosecution had nothing to do with speech, accepting Whelchel’s argument that the charges were about Rodriguez’s disruptive actions, severely limiting the evidence attorney Mark Streiff was able to present to the jury. Rodriguez was convicted.

To categorize criticism of a nation-state committing genocide as racially motivated hate speech is intentionally designed to have a chilling effect on a very specific type of speech and dissent.

Hate crime legislation and enhancements were designed to protect marginalized groups from bias-motivated crimes. To bring higher charges against Alam, a racial and religious minority and a Bengali American descendant of genocide survivors, illustrates just how far the state can turn a law intended to protect a marginalized group into the opposite — a tool of oppression.

Judge Bolton upheld most of the prosecution’s objections, including barring defense counsel from presenting repair evidence, fully questioning the pastor about his support of the Israeli military, testimony from a doctor who personally witnessed the horror in Gaza, or arguing flag burning as First Amendment-protected activity. At the close of the evidence, the jury rendered a unanimous verdict: The hate crime enhancement was not valid. Despite the fact that defense counsel Adwoa Asante was hindered from providing a full and fair defense, the jury saw through the machinations and rejected the argument that criticizing a genocidal foreign government is hate speech. While the jury did find Alam guilty of criminal mischief of the building, they sentenced him to community supervision.

To the bewilderment of the jury, Judge Bolton unilaterally added 180 days of jail as a condition of community supervision. One juror even raised her hand for clarification since the jury had rendered a sentence that opposed jail time. Jail time can be added as a condition of community supervision, and in some cases, it is statutorily required to be added. However, this was not such a case. It supplanted the jury’s decision for the judge’s wrath — a clear and unequivocal rejection of the jury’s stated desires. Now, as Alam’s team attempts to appeal the judge’s decision, he reportedly continues to be targeted. At a press conference, his lawyer announced that Alam was being indicted on perjury charges.

To be clear, spray-painting private property is a criminal offense. But, as the jury found, what happened was not a hate crime. To categorize criticism of a nation-state committing genocide as racially motivated hate speech is intentionally designed to have a chilling effect on a very specific type of speech and dissent.

To quell dissent through criminalization is a distraction from the real issue: Israel is almost two years into its genocide of the Palestinian people. Israeli forces have systematically targeted hospitals, turned life-saving humanitarian food sites into killing fields, turned all of Gaza’s institutions of higher learning into dust, and forcibly displaced and murdered hundreds of thousands of people.

However, in a misguided attempt to quash dissent, the state drew far more attention to Israel’s genocide. Supporters crowded the courtroom, and locals questioned spending state resources on prosecuting graffiti that had already been removed. Meanwhile, Israel’s continuous slaughter of Palestinians leaves a permanent bloody stain on our collective conscience.


This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license.

Marwa Elbially is a civil rights and immigration lawyer.

New Banksy artwork challenges UK’s protest crackdown

PROMPTLY CENSORED


By AFP
September 8, 2025


The new Banksy work at the Royal Courts of Justice was quickly covered up - Copyright POOL/AFP PETER DEJONG

British street artist Banksy on Monday took aim at the UK’s crackdown on protesters with a new work outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, adding fuel to a free-speech row roiling the country.

The artist posted an image of the work, which features a judge wielding a gavel over a protester on the ground holding a blood-splattered placard, on his Instagram page.

The work has since been covered by black plastic sheets and two metal barriers.

It appeared after 890 people were arrested at a demonstration against a ban on the activist group Palestine Action in London on Saturday.

The artwork “powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed” by the government’s ban, said a spokesperson from the Defend Our Juries group that organised the protest.

“Since the dystopian ban came into force, over 1,600 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding cardboard signs with seven words ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’,” the spokesperson added.

“When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent — it strengthens it.”

Free speech has become a hot topic in the UK, with people from across the political spectrum complaining that the law is too heavy-handed.

The issue hit international headlines last week when comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested for posts on X insulting transgender people.

Why is Scandinavia’s largest international art fair going bananas for Thyra Hilden’s ‘Equal Satire’?

Copyright Anders Kongshaug

By David Mouriquand
Published on 02/09/2025 - 

A new banana-centric artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden has been exhibited and sold at Copenhagen’s Enter Art Fair. Here's why it has been one of the standouts of this year's edition.


From Paul Gaugin’s "The Meal" to Banksy’s "Pulp Fiction" via Andy Warhol’s legendary cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico’s 1967 debut album, bananas can be found everywhere in works of art.

Both a convenient yet quickly decaying snack and a sensual, sexually suggestive symbol, the fruit has the power to unsettle, titillate and spark vital conversation.

It hit headlines (and Instagram feeds) in 2019 when renowned conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan created "Comedian" at the Art Basel fair in Miami. The Italian artist simply bought a banana and taped it to the wall with duct tape.

The provocation sparked debate as to the nature and value of art, and by blurring satire and high art, Cattelan spoke to the absurdity of our times.

Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" Sotherby's

"Comedian” sold for $120,000 (€114,000) in 2019 and made headlines once again last year when it was resold at auction for a staggering $6.2 million (€5.8 million).


Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other contenders to acquire the fruit-centred work at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, later eating the banana during a press conference in Hong Kong in a stunt drawing a provocative comparison between the artwork and the world of cryptocurrency. Basically, it’s all about abstract concepts.

Now, a new banana-centric artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden has been exhibited at Copenhagen’s Enter Art Fair, Scandinavia’s largest international art fair, as an artistic response to Catellan’s “Comedian”.

More than that, the banana cut open to resemble a vulva – titled “Equal Satire” - has sold for precisely $12,869 (€11, 066).

A bit measly compared to “Comedian”, but that’s the point.

"Equal Satire" by Thyra Hilden Anders Kongshaug

"Equal Satire" sells at Enter Art Fair 2025 Anders Kongshaug

Even if “Equal Satire” sold for 40,000 times the value of an actual banana and only 10 per cent of its "male counterpart", it represents the fact that only about 10 per cent of the art market turnover at Sotheby’s and Christie’s comes from works created by women.

“Me and the gallerist have set the price to 10% of the original price of the banana, with the duct tape on the wall, a very famous piece,” said Hilden. “And the 10% comes from that in the big auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's. And so, it's still only 10% of the turnover that goes to female artists.”

Thyra Hilden Anders Kongshaug

Hilden added that she hopes it will “spread humour and spark discussions around equality."

“I have created this work “Equal satire”, where I have cut a very potent figure into something very feminine and created a feminine force. And it's to spread humour, discussion around equality. It’s about opening dialogue on feminine equality in art.”

Visitors in front of "Equal Satire" Anders Kongshaug

The buyer of “Equal Satire”, Anders Andersen, founder of the office-share company Ordning, stated that he too hopes the conversation will be on Hilden’s central idea behind the artwork.

“It's not worth paying that much amount for a banana, but when you have taken that discussion, then I hope next level will be that you will start to consider what the artist herself wants to tell with this piece of art," Andersen said.

So, art worth going bananas for. Andersen also said he plans to replace the fruit daily.

“In practice, it means I will be the biggest importer of bananas in Copenhagen, because I will have to renew this piece of art - or some of my employees will renew this piece of art - every day.”

"Equal Satire" Anders Kongshaug

This is far from the first time that artists have given a feminist spin to the phallic fruit, as The Guerrilla Girls famously used bananas in protest actions to call out male dominance in the art world.

Women Artists In The Andy Warhol And Tremaine Auctions At Sotheby’s - Guerrilla Girls (1989) Screenshot TATE UK

So, kudos to Enter Art Fair and Thyra Hilden for not only laying bare the seemingly arbitrary nature of how value is assigned to objects and asking the question “Who gets to decide the value of art?” but also reminding visitors that the 10 per cent isn’t just a figure confined to the art world.

Sandwich Guy Redux: In Your Fascist Face

Sandwich guy targets most vilely deserving target ever

Photo from RedditStreetArt

FURTHER
Abby Zimet
Aug 30, 2025

COMMON DREAMS

When Pigs Fly Dept: The "remarkable failure" of prosecutors to indict the D.C. "hero with a hero" who hurled his sub at a neighborhood thug prompted glad praise that, "Ham sandwiches are finally getting a break." It also reflected a growing resistance to a fascist takeover that, with its inept efforts to turn small breaches - an open beer, a wrong door, a nap in the car - into felony charges, has judges, lawyer and an aggrieved populace denouncing it as merely, malignantly "fucking with people for no reason."

In the now-famous "assault with a deli weapon," Sean Dunn, a 37-year-old decorated Afghanistan veteran and former trial attorney and foreign affairs specialist with the DOJ, got up in the face of one masked, armed, burly goon among many in D.C., yelled, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here?" and hurled his wrapped sandwich, reportedly salami, at said goon's bullet-proof-vested chest before sprinting away. About 30 federal agents, with little else to do, chased down, handcuffed and arrested him. He was quickly released, but the next day, in the well-worn name of totalitarian pageantry, the DOJ recorded dozens of stormtroopers swarming his apartment, guns drawn Bin-Laden-like, to re-arrest him and charge him with felony assault for what U.S. Attorney Boxwine Pirro called "a serious crime," but definitely not like the Jan. 6 now-pardoned rioters who assaulted over 140 cops.

Despite the perp's later confession - "I did it. I threw a sandwich" - and the maxim that, given the famously low bar for grand jury hearings, resolute prosecutors can successfully find cause to indict a ham sandwich - the grand jury summoned to put away the "Hoagie Hero" basically responded to the evidence presented with, "Sandwich? What sandwich? I don't see no sandwich," and rejected the call to charge him with a felony. The "exceedingly rare," "sharp rebuke by ordinary citizens" fed up with the dystopian mayhem inflicted on them by bulked-up bullies on all sides rendered Dunn "America’s most famous food thrower since a bunch of guys in Boston hurled tea into the harbor." Like the refusal of LA residents to indict anti-ICE protesters, it showed most Americans reject the regime's cynical attempt to escalate minor scuffles into felony assaults, in the words of one attorney, as "horseshit."

To date, prosecutors have accused at least 17 people of felony “assaulting,” “resisting” or “impeding” a federal agent doing their "duty" since Trump declared his imaginary "crime crisis." As phalanxes of bored, masked, ill-trained cops - FBI, DEA, DHS, USBP - join D.C. police on patrols, the charges get preposterous, and the people get pissed. They caught Mark Bigelow with, gasp, "an open container of alcohol" in his parked van; when he struggled with cops shoving him into a squad car, he allegedly "struck" one. The same day, another mob went to investigate possible fireworks or gunfire; as they dispersed a crowd, Terrance Wilson "struck" an officer with his elbow; when his friend tried to retrieve her sweatshirt as he was carted away, she too diabolically "struck" an officer. When Rios Esquivel inadvertently took the wrong exit door at the zoo, multiple agents grabbed him for another felony.

As Pirro wildly pushes prosecutors to bring cases to court "with the most serious charges they can pursue" and tries to keep them in jail pending trial to impress Daddy with "big numbers" - helped by the ending of cashless bail - attorneys say the courts are "buckling." One DC public defender, "It’s a real mess." Meanwhile, prosecutorial failures to retool garden-variety encounters into fake "assault narratives" pile up. Prosecutors tried three times to indict Lori Reid for felony "assault" on a cop's hand at a protest; after grand juries kept calling bullshit, they reduced it to a misdemeanor. After Alvin Summers drove his car near the Mall where he shouldn't, police charged he "speed-walked away" and, when caught, "grabbed (a cop) by the upper body with force"; the grand jury rejected their testimony after seeing body-cam video, which doesn't lie like they do. And then there was Dunn's lethal sub.

Many judges have likewise grown skeptical. Trump-appointed Judge Thomas Cullen dismissed a farcical regime lawsuit against all 15 federal judges in Maryland to limit their power over immigration as a "Constitutional free-for-all," blasting the "concerted effort by the Executive to smear and impugn individual judges who rule against it." In an assault case, Judge Zia Faruqui charged, "Masked and anonymous law enforcement are terrorizing innocent and hardworking residents (to) smear good people and build upon their false narrative they are capturing ‘bad criminals.'" Friday, multiple judges handed Trump big court losses: They ruled most of the tariffs illegal, blocked Ice Barbie from stripping protections from 600,000 Venezuelans - she slammed them as "unelected activists," like her - and blocked government's "startling' claim they can do "expedited removal" of migrants with no due process.

Still, all good inside the MAGA bubble. At a cringe, pointless gathering of bootlickers "that would make Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin blush," Cabinet members called their dear bigoted autocrat, with a "big beautiful face," the "transformational president of the American worker," thanked him for "saving college football" and "the whales," said he should def get the "Noble (sic) Prize," and declared "we're in a revolution," like the one "in 1863 or so." Their beaming idiot king bragged "I have the right to do anything I want," so he did. He illegally returned a massive portrait of Gen. Robert E Lee, a slave holding his horse, to the library at West Point. He offered military funeral honors to Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt. Using his "weapon of choice" of fake mortgage fraud allegations, he tried to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for being a black woman doing her job at the Fed; in response, she sued him.

Meanwhile, his lunatic Brain-Worm Health Secretary - not a doctor or scientist - dismantles the CDC, fires its leaders, prompts mass resignations and the charge he's using CDC "to generate policies (that) do not reflect scientific reality and (will) hurt rather than improve the public’s health." This week he suggested anti-depressants may have led the Minneapolis shooter to gun down praying children, flubbed statistics on autism and diabetes, said we should "stop trusting the experts, which is not a feature of science or democracy," and diagnosed kids he walked past at an airport with "mitochondrial challenges," which one expert called "wacky, flat-earth, voodoo stuff." Others: "I'm sorry but what?", "This batshit asshole should not be anywhere near the levers of power," and, "Scientist here. Maybe those kids just don’t like you because you’re staring at them like a creep who wants to give them measles."."

Enter, in his defense, Stephen Goebbels Voldemort Miller, who calls RFK Jr. "a crown jewel of this administration" and "one of the world's foremost voices (and) experts on public health." Also, the CDC lacked "credibility" and was run by "partisan bureaucrats." America was a "killing field" before Trump launched his "liberation." D.C. was "body after body after body." Chicago has "shut down" their police, "handcuffed law enforcement." Democrats should be “jumping up and down saying, ‘Thank you, President Trump, for saving our lives.'" The "Democrat Party (is) devoted exclusively to the defense of hardened criminals, gangbangers and illegal alien killers...(It) is not a political party. It is a domestic extremist organization." And Sean Dunn, now charged with a misdemeanor, goes to court Sept. 4. For now, Banksy-inspired posters celebrating his tasty heroism bedeck D.C; its latest iteration hits Miller on his bald head. Let freedom ring.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.


Abby Zimet
Abby Zimet has written CD's Further column since 2008. A longtime, award-winning journalist, she moved to the Maine woods in the early 70s, where she spent a dozen years building a house, hauling water and writing before moving to Portland. Having come of political age during the Vietnam War, she has long been involved in women's, labor, anti-war, social justice and refugee rights issues. Email: azimet18@gmail.com
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Fox News confronts Jeanine Pirro on sandwich case: 'You can't get a grand jury to indict'

David Edwards
August 31, 2025

RAW STORY


Fox News/screen grab

Fox News host Shannon Bream confronted Jeanine Pirro, President Donald Trump's U.S. Attorney for D.C., after she was unable to get a grand jury to indict a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal officer.

"So you talk about getting to court, getting your prosecutors together and getting these cases together," Bream told Pirro in a Sunday interview. "But here's the headline from the Washington Post just days ago. It said D.C. judges and grand jurors push back on Trump policing surge."

"There's at least one high-profile case where they're making a lot of headline news about the fact that you couldn't get a grand jury to indict," the Fox News host said.



"I know the case that they're referencing, and there's not a lot I can talk about in terms of grand juries, but what I can tell you is this," Pirro replied. "You know, there are a lot of people who sit on juries and they live in, you know, they live in Georgetown or in northwest or in some of these better areas and they don't see the reality of crime that is occurring."

"And my office has been instructed to move for the highest crime possible consistent with the law, the statute, and the evidence," she continued. "And in that one case, in that particular article, we were on point. But the grand jurors don't take it so seriously. They're like, you know, whatever."

Pirro noted that the Department of Justice had decided to charge Sean Dunn, the man accused of throwing a sandwich, with a misdemeanor after the grand jury declined to indict him.

"My job is to protect the victim," she insisted. "We're going to make the criminal accountable."

Watch the video below from Fox News or click the link.