When hundreds of demonstrators battled outside a Norwich library over a drag queen-hosted story time programme, police were summoned.
The youth event at Norwich Millennium Library yesterday was organised by Joseph Bollard, also known as “Auntie” Titania Trust.
However, the location attracted a sizable audience of far-right demonstrators who believe it is wrong for drag queens to conduct children’s events.
The majority of the males in the organisation, which calls themselves “Patriotic Alternative,” were brandishing banners with messages like “Let kids be kids.”
The far-right extremists, according to the Norwich Evening News, said they were there “safeguarding the brains” of youngsters.
On other posters, a family of four looked to be hiding from the traditional rainbow flag, the Pride emblem for the LGBTQ+ community, beneath an umbrella.
There were counter-protesters nearby who were in favour of the Titania Trust and the event.
Pride flags and banners with the phrases “Drag out hatred” and “You can’t sink Titania” were waved by supporters.
Police officers preserved the calm as they divided the factions and ensured that the event proceeded as scheduled.
In order to “inspire a love of reading, while imparting deeper lessons on diversity, self-acceptance, and an understanding of others,” Drag Queen Story Hour was first established in America.
Organisers in the UK claim that the event is about promoting acceptance and empowering kids to exhibit their “fabulous” and “creative” sides.
People who want Drag Queen Story Hour to cease have referred to the queens as “groomers,” “paedophiles,” and “abusing children,” all of which are unfounded accusations.
All of the drag queens working in the programme undergo thorough DBS checks before they are allowed to work in libraries, much like the majority of workers who interact with children while doing their jobs.
Titania Trust expressed gratitude to the counter-protesters for attending the event and stated the support meant a lot.
Titania Trust posted a video on social media with the caption, “We did it. We succeeded as a team by working together! Therefore, we must express our gratitude to everyone who participated, including the county council, the police, and the stewards.
“Everyone who attended the forum in a nice manner, as well as all of our fantastic supporters.
We’ve shown that hatred has no place in Norfolk or Norwich, and we’ll fight these despicable bullies no matter what.
I want to thank everyone. It means the world to me that you love and support me. They always exclaim, “Onward and upward.”
It happened only a few days after the Titania Trust had to postpone an earlier event that was scheduled to take place in the North Walsham Library on August 2 as a result of protestors staging a demonstration outside.
Due to protesters opposed to the event taking place in a publicly funded library, the county council made the decision to postpone another event scheduled for August 9.
Norwich Pride denounced the demonstrators and urged the regional council to take more steps to maintain the “Pride Pledge,” which was signed in 2020.
‘We as a group call on councillor Dewsbury to act and to honour the vow that she made,’ they said on social media.
“Joe, Titiana, New Stages, and North Walsham Library will receive a letter of support from the trustees of Norwich Pride,” they said.
“Please feel free to offer solidarity or even complaints to the appropriate individuals and locations.”
It comes after a string of storytime activities that sparked objections from people against drag queen hosts of events.
A drag queen who participated in a reading programme for kids in Belfast earlier this month said that he had received death threats, but the ‘intimidation’ would not force him to stop.
The criticism Matt Cavan, as Cherrie Ontop, received after participating in a storytime event, he said, has given him “even more fire in [his] belly for events like this.”
He said that after receiving death threats and being referred to as a “paedophile” online, he was forced to contact the authorities.
Nevertheless, Matt promised to keep reading to kids while dressed as a woman because he wants Northern Ireland to have a better culture where it is OK to “wear a dress and still be a male,” something he was “terrified” to do as a young boy.
The 33-year-old was participating in Drag Queen Story Hour UK, which is organised by Aida H Dee performer Sab Samuel and has recently drawn criticism.
Parents Against Grooming organised a group of protestors who came to the event on Sunday and carried signs that said, “Leave those kids alone.”
When the Drag Story Hour tour visited libraries in Cornwall and Reading, similar occurrences were captured on camera.
The libraries Aida visits have started to see sizable counter-protester contingents, and the publicity is encouraging families to join up for the reading hours.
In contrast to past demonstrations, when Sab Samuel, the drag performer and children’s author behind Aida H Dee, had to be led out for his own safety, demonstrators dispersed from Cornish libraries before he and families left the structure.