Credit:SWNS
Protestors and supporters clashed outside a scheduled book reading by a Drag Queen at a library on Thursday.
Sab Samuel, 27, who runs Story Hour UK as drag character Aida H Dee, was due to read to kids at 11am at Henleaze Library in Bristol.
Protestors and supporters clashed with one saying they planned on putting Aida – who grew up in Bristol – under citizen’s arrest.
The event was scheduled to begin around 11am but was delayed.
It was one of six shows across the city in the next two days – it is unclear if the others will go ahead.
The group of around 15 protesting against the storytelling say Aida is “illegally grooming children.”
The protest group were shouting chants and carrying signs that read: “Stop grooming kids”, “Wake up this is child abuse” and “Leave the kids alone.”
A spokesperson from the group at the scene explained: “Aida works in the sex industry as an adult entertainer.
”This is grooming and it’s illegal. So we are performing a citizens arrest, if we can’t do it today, we will.”
The protestor, shouting from behind Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ blaring from speakers, said: “If you have to normalise something that is not normal – it is not normal!
“No one under the age of 11 needs to know explicit facts about sex and drag queens.
“They are sex workers and we don’t want them talking to our children about what they think is normal.”
The individual claimed they have protest groups located “all over the country”, mobilised to “put an end to this sexual exploitation of children.”
They added: “We are concerned parents and grandparents, and believe what this Drag Queen is doing is a crime and he must be stopped.
“A library with toddlers is is not the time or the place – if you want to see a Drag Queen go to a nightclub!’
“These poor children are going to be confused and their young minds are being corrupted.”
One mum, 32, was one of the parents hoping to attend the storytelling event with her ten-month-old toddler.
The mother-of-one from Bristol has attended one of the events just six weeks ago in the city, which she said was “pleasant” and “lovely”.
Ashton said: “Ada is an author and I can assure you none of the content in the stories are sexualised. They are light-hearted and entertaining.
“I am annoyed and all the parents here today are annoyed.
“I just want to have a calm conversation but I have a child strapped to me and this is turning violent, and quite frankly scary.
“Men is make-up is not a new concept – it’s thousands of years old, this is nothing new.”
One individual from the counter-group, said they showed up today to protect “parents, children and drag queens” from the “fascist” group of protestors.
The Bristol-based protestor standing up for “the rights of drag queens” said: “It is homophobic and transphobic to stop kids being able to learn from a drag queen.
“We are trying to not escalate things too much so the kids don’t get traumatised, we want to protect the families from the fascists over there.
“I think a lot of this is based on unfair economic situations – trans people are often scapegoated by newspapers.
“Lots of the fascists over there have strong ties to conspiracy theories.
”The lies that they believe is showing in outward facing anger right now, which is something we cannot accept.”
‘Story Hour’ events have been running across the country for three to 11-year-old children at libraries.
The group says the sessions “teach inclusivity” and encourage children to “get fabulous”.
In a statement, Bristol Pride, which recently saw two weeks of events to continue to protest for equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people, and celebrate diversity conclude with a march and one-day festival at The Downs to which thousands of people attended, said the abuse being shouted at children was ‘tired’.
“Just weeks after the city came together to celebrate Pride we are saddened to see hateful protestors attacking diversity and inclusion events at Bristol Libraries with tired homophobic and transphobic tropes,” a spokesperson said.
“We condemn these actions and support the libraries and performers who are using storytelling to showcase inclusion and diversity, bring joy and engage young people in reading skills.
“Children are not born with hatred, they learn it. They also can learn of inclusion and acceptance to grow up better adults than those that use fear and intimidation against parents and children to spread bigotry and hatred,” they added.
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