Masked Neo-Nazis Hurl Slurs, Disrupt Massachusetts Drag Story Hour
About two dozen masked people — some of them sporting regalia of a known neo-Nazi group — protested outside the public library in Taunton, Massachusetts, on Saturday, January 14, where a drag story hour was taking place. Meanwhile, several neo-Nazis intruded on the event inside the building, prompting some parents to gather up their children and leave, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.
At least one of the masked, hoodie-wearing people sported a hat bearing the logo for the neo-Nazi group NSC-131, whose name stands for "National Social Club" — a riff on Nazi Germany's National Socialist party, from which the word "Nazi" is derived. "131" refers to the letters A, C, and A, according to Wikipedia, and those letters stand for "Anti-Communist Action."
ABC 6 confirmed the identity of the protestors as belonging to the neo-Nazi group, and referred to the group as "white supremacists." A photo from last month's protest in Fall River shows members of the group throwing Nazi salutes.
"This group is also believed to be responsible for the racist flyers that have been dispersed throughout Rhode Island in the recent months," ABC 6 added.
The Gazette noted that "The group outside the Taunton Public Library was holding what appeared to be the same large hand-lettered sign saying 'Drag queens are pedophiles' as NCS-131 was holding at a protest in front of the Fall River Public Library in December and the two groups were dressed in the same colors, black jackets and tan pants."
The Gazette related that although only four police officers were initially detailed to protect the library, the drag performer, and the families who attended the event, a need for backup meant that in the end 12 officers were at the scene.
ABC 6 reported that several of the neo-Nazis found their way into the space where the event was taking place, where they "became unruly, shouting profanities and threats at attendees and staff." According to one parent who attended the event, the interlopers hurled slurs at the drag performer who was reading the story, screaming, "Child abuser, pedophile, you're going to hell!"
Event organizer Jamie Keller, of the Southcoast LGBTQ+ Network, told the Gazette that the neo-Nazis screamed other slurs through their masks at the drag performer, Monica Moore, including the accusation "you are grooming these kids."
Last year, as controversy around Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law grew, the anti-gay right adopted the smear that LGBTQ+ people, advocates for LGBTQ+ youth, and drag performers are "grooming" children. The tactic has gained traction since then, though there is no evidence for such claims.
Right-wing groups have increasignly targeted drag story hours and other drag events, and though no weapons were reported among the neo-Nazis in Taunton, such demonstrations have grown more threatening, and armed protestors have besieged some drag story time events.
Despite the growing potential for violence, right-wing lawmakers have jumped on the "grooming" bandwagon, pushing the narrative that drag shows are inherently "sexualized" and that children are "endangered" even by family-friendly drag events that are designed to be age-appropriate.
In some states, lawmakers are considering making it a crime for parents to take children to performances that include drag, potentially infringing on the parental rights of mothers and fathers who would otherwise determine for themselves whether or not an event would be suitable for their kids.
Local official Phillip Duarte, a Taunton City Councilor, took to Facebook to decry the disruptive action. In a 16 post, Duarte wrote, "After Saturday's demonstration of hate by a group of neo-Nazis at the Drag Queen Story Hour at the Taunton Public Library, let us be reminded this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to choose love."
That was not the only expression of community support. The Gazette noted that a drag story hour was also taking place in Fall River at the same time on Jan. 14 — but, unlike last month, when "when 25-30 neo-Nazis protested outside the library with a barrage of slurs and racist hand salutes," this past weekend "only 10 or so protesters showed up at the event, while several hundred counter-protesters attended to show support for the drag queen storytime."
One local, Melissa Costa, suggested that the large showing of support from the community was the direct result of the group's angering local residents with Nazi salutes and cries of "Heil Hitler" during the December protest.