Heavily armed Antifa face off with Proud Boys outside CHILDREN's 'drag brunch' in Texas
ROANOKE, TEXAS: A group of masked and heavily armed Antifa protesters showed up at a "drag brunch" in Texas that was reportedly open to children Sunday, August 27.
The event, which took place at the Anderson Distillery and Grill in Roanoke, Texas, saw quite the police presence amid tense stand-offs between protesters and counter-protesters. Video footage showed approximately 20 children and a number of self-proclaimed teachers attending the event, where drag queens performed in skimpy outfits and collected dollar bills, drawing the ire of locals who disapproved of the procession.
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According to Fox News, there was a flurry of complaints and calls for protests in the days leading up to the drag brunch, the news of which had spread for days on social media.
Drag queens in Roanoke, TX take tips from young girls, wrap arms around them for pictures, and blow them kisses while gleeful mothers take pictures.
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) August 29, 2022
Do you notice a common theme here? The dads are clapping along.
Where have all the real men gone? pic.twitter.com/BEVRM5tiry
One of the protesting groups was Protect Texas Kids, an organization that aims to "take a stand in protecting kids from the toxic, indoctrinating agenda of the left by exposing the truth behind the ongoing assault that has been ruthlessly waged against our children’s identities, core development, and traditional values," according to its website. The group's founder Kelly Neidert called on supporters to protest the event to "put some pressure on the restaurant," prompting another group called Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (EFJBGC) to show up to counter-protest against them.
According to EFJBGC's Twitter, the organization aims to "[promote] and [assist] marginalized communities in organizing community defense against white supremacists [and] fascism."
The homies putting on the drag show tomorrow are not backing down to threats, the show will go on. Show up and show out your support for the community. Bring a friend.
— Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (@EFJBGC) August 27, 2022
Anderson Distillery
August 28th 11-3pm pic.twitter.com/9ihK2CgOX4
The group later identified the armed masked protesters as members of its organization on Twitter. The ensuing face-off was heated and stopped short of all-out violence between the two heavily armed factions.
When Kelly recovered she took this lovely picture of us. Her camera is bad tho pic.twitter.com/zyOy28T8r0
— Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (@EFJBGC) August 28, 2022
Speaking to Fox News, Neidert said there were already approximately 30 people "staked out" in a nearby parking garage once the event started. "They had people throughout the parking garage, on the roof, and on some of the other floors with their guns," she said. "And then they had people outright by the bar with more guns. And then people kind of throughout the area, just monitoring what was going on. And they were walking people from the bar to their cars."
Armed #Antifa showed up in Roanoke, TX to protect the “kid friendly” drag show at this bar. Armed #Antifa escorted attendees to the vehicles. I counted about 9 AR-15s. @CityofRoanokeTX @SaraGonzalesTX @TaylerUSA @WatchChad @theblaze @BlazeTV pic.twitter.com/S1rOM1dlmo
— Kris Cruz 🫡 (@realKrisCruz) August 28, 2022
Tensions were further heightened by the presence of a dozen or so Antifa members, who showed up masked and armed with rifles to stand guard and deter the growing number of conservative protesters crowding the scene. Meanwhile, there was also present a masked member of the Proud Boys group, standing in front of the armed guards with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. Images from the scene showed some anti-LGBTQ protesters holding signs bearing messages such as, "Christ is KING" and "Drag the queens out of town." Other placards read "Children cannot consent" and "Stop sexualizing children." Another homophobic sign read, "Caution: Monkeypox hotspot approx. 50 ft away. Stay back."
On 8/28 about two dozen “Christian Fascists” including Proud Boys and Militia came to attack a drag brunch in Roanoke, TX.
— Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (@EFJBGC) August 29, 2022
Although the fash looked and acted ridiculous; it’s important to expose the extreme violence and threats the community was attacked with on that day.
🧵 pic.twitter.com/08N1OY8Qpo
At one point, a bearded man was seen in video footage claiming that one of the Antifa guards spat on him, nearly inciting an all-out conflict. He told one interviewer that he was spat on after he called the guards "f***ing p*****s." The man added, "I'm here to support people who don't indoctrinate and groom little eight-year-old kids."
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Taking to Facebook last week, the distillery owner Jay Anderson promised that the event wouldn't feature foul language, sexual content, or erotic behavior.
"It was never my intention to host an event that would result in controversy, hate, and divisiveness," Anderson wrote, "It is my intention to welcome people from ALL walks of life into Anderson Distillery & Grill." He added, "The live entertainment that will take place will be similar to a variety show with professional drag artists lip-synching, dancing, and performing comedy routines. The show will be hosted by my son, Bailey (a.k.a. Trisha Delish), who will ensure the show remains clean."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.