A protester was allegedly “aggressive and intimidating” towards organisers and attendees at a drag queen story-telling event for children at Tate Britain, a court has heard.
Lance O’Connor, of Plaistow, east London, has been accused of making a series of comments that were motivated by “hostility relating to sexual orientation and transgender identity”.
The 59-year-old denies using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause one of the gallery’s operations managers, Matthew Rowan, and police liaison officer Anderson De Santis harassment, alarm or distress.
He further denies an alternative charge of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.
The Tate, in Millbank, central London, had been hosting Drag Queen Story Hour UK on February 11, with tales told by Aida H Dee, who was described on the gallery’s website as “the first drag artist in Europe to read stories to children in a nursery”.
People demonstrating against the event were at the scene, as well as counter-protesters.
The prosecution told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday that the defendant, who identified himself as “Lance”, was part of a group of five people who went to Tate Britain to protest against the story-telling session.
The group were refused entry to the event after organisers decided on the day to only admit families with children wanting to attend, the court heard.
O’Connor was accused of being “aggressive and intimidating” towards Mr Rowan, who was standing outside the event doors, and of displaying the same behaviour to members of the public trying to attend.
Prosecutor Luke Staton said: “At one stage, when a mother and daughter attempted to enter the event room, the Crown say that the defendant said words to the effect of ‘They are indoctrinating children in there. There’s a man dressed as a woman and he is defending paedophiles’.
“The defendant, the Crown say, also said to Mr Rowan words to the effect of ‘Do you think it’s appropriate for a man to wear women’s clothing?’ and made further comments about grooming and paedophilia.”
Pc De Santis arrived at the scene after being notified of a “commotion” and heard the defendant make a comment about attendees indoctrinating young children into paedophilia.
And when the officer confronted O’Connor about the comment, the defendant allegedly confirmed that is what he said.
The court heard that O’Connor was arrested the same day for his “words and behaviour” and denied during police interviews that he said: “Gay people dressed as women are paedophiles.”
Mr Staton said: “The Crown’s case is that the defendant’s words and behaviour were abusive and insulting.
“They caused both Matthew Rowan and Pc De Santis harassment, alarm or distress.
“They were directed to all who were present at the scene, including those entering the event and both complainants in this case.
“The defendant had intention to cause harassment, alarm of distress to anyone attempting to participate in or indeed defend the holding of this event.”
Giving evidence, Mr Rowan, wearing a light grey suit, said he told the group the event was only for families with children and the man he believed to be O’Connor had replied saying one of the party “identified as a six-year-old”.
He called O’Connor’s demeanour “quite aggressive”.
“It felt like he was trying to intimidate his way into the event,” Mr Rowan said.
After O’Connor made the first alleged comment at the Drag event, Mr Rowan told the court: “At this point I informed Mr O’Connor that he had crossed the line from being rude into hate speech and we weren’t going to continue the conversation anymore.”
Asked how he felt after the interaction, the gallery operations manager said: “It was quite upsetting.
“To be in my place of work, which should be a safe place for everyone, to then have someone who is aggressive and filming me and trying to get a reaction out of me, it was very uncomfortable.
“As a gay man I felt very uncomfortable with the claims of indoctrination, grooming and talking about paedophilia as they are tropes that have been used against gay people, to my knowledge, growing up.”
He added that it “hurt” to hear those kinds of accusations because “those sort of things were said to me in the past in the ’80s as I was growing up”.
Pc De Santis told the court he was “very uncomfortable” and “alarmed” after hearing O’Connor’s initial comment.
Sundeep Pankhania, for O’Connor, said his client “does not hold any non-trans ideologies” and was protesting that day because of a “link” he believed existed between Aida H Dee and an alleged convicted paedophile – Darren Moore – whom the court heard is now dead.
The trial continues.
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