According to NBC News, law enforcement officers broke up a protest by the Proud Boys group in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The group reportedly protested outside a drag queen story hour event. The event was held at the Loyalty Bookstore on Ellsworth Drive near Veterans Plaza and was highly controversial.
Videos of the protest showed the Proud Boys masked and holding protest signs outside the bookstore. One sign in the video reads: Proud Boys love children. Proud Boys hate pedophiles. Leave kids alone.
The Parasol Patrol also showed up at the event. They are a group of volunteers who protect children and their families from protestors at these types of events. They say that some of their volunteers were kicked and harassed. NBC News reports that the group claims one of their protestors was even punched in the face.
A tweet by Loyalty Bookstores about the situation read as follows: The incredible @parasolpatrol and the MoCo chapter of @DragStoryHour did wonders to not only push back and hold the safe space, but to keep cheering and singing joyfully in the face of hate speech and disgusting threats. Because of their efforts the children inside the store got to enjoy doing the Hokey Pokey, hearing beautiful books read aloud.
Police say they should have been notified about the event beforehand. They also say that the Proud Boys dispersed from the area when police arrived. Thus, no arrests were made at this event because of the protest or the event itself.
Drag Queen story hours are increasingly popular with some people, and they are also being met with more and more protests wherever they go. These events have been thrust into the national spotlight more recently, which is a big part of why the public is paying more attention to them and asking more questions about them.
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