Proud Boys Attempt to Disrupt NC Drag Brunch
A North Carolina drag brunch was under attack on Sunday, October 30, when members of the ultra-right group The Proud Boys protested the event. The website The Rant, which reports news from the community of Sanford, North Carolina, writes "(a)bout 16 members of the far-right, neo-fascist, white nationalist group the Proud Boys marched and protested today outside of Hugger Mugger Brewing in downtown Sanford." It was there that the Halloween Drag Brunch event benefiting Sanford Yoga Community Center's LFGTQ+ Resource Center took place.
"The masked protesters — many bearing the name and symbols representing the group — shouted 'groomers' and other remarks at attendees as they entered the event. Others not publicly affiliated with the group held protest signs decrying 'state-sponsored pedophilia.' Several protesters blocked the entrance of the brewery before being asked to clear the way by local police," writes The Rant.
"Lindsey Knapp, organizer for the event at Hugger Mugger Brewing, told WRAL News the event has been highlighted by hate groups online. She said she received a 'significant amount of resistance for hosting this event,' including death threats." She told of the threats to local police.
Knapp is an attorney and U.S. Army veteran who has works as an advocate for victims of sexual violence.
She said the backlash to the event began after it was targeted by a a TikTok account called "LibsofTikTok," which claimed that the Halloween drag brunch had a Satanist as a performer. This was untrue, she said. "Libs of TikTok" is a Twitter account with 1.4 million followers that "reposts a steady stream of TikTok videos and social media posts, primarily from LGBTQ+ people, often including incendiary framing designed to generate outrage," according to a story from earlier this year in the Washington Post.
Police on the scene say around 16 Proud Boys turned up, many in bulletproof vests. They were joined by pro-confederate protesters who showed up along with other people holding signs with Bible verses on them.
"This is very concerning to us because we've gotten some death threats and things like that," Knapp told WRAL News.
"When they call us things like pedophiles and things like that what that does is it allows folks in the community to give themselves permission to use that extremist view to perpetrate violence upon our community," said Knapp.
"Aside from name-calling, the white supremacist group marched around with signs, recruiting people at one point and taking selfies with other supporters," adds WRAL News.
Sunday's private, ticketed event featured a brunch at noon and performances from "drag queens and kings" from Greenville-based Underground Presents.
"I'm not so concerned about the people who are just mad at me or who may show up to protest," Knapp said Friday. "On the back end, there are people posting threats, saying to show up with guns and 'shoot your local pedophile,' and that's what has me concerned."
One protester showed up Sunday wearing a hat that read, "Shoot Your Local Pedophile."