Sanford, North Carolina (WGHP) — Drug events in North Carolina were disrupted by the emergence of extremist group the Proud Boys.
The event, held at the Hugger Mugger Brewery in Sanford, Sanford Yoga and Community CenterKnapp is an attorney, military veteran, and fight sexual assaultto assist military and veterans who have experienced retaliation for reporting assaults.
The drag branch was raising money for an LGBTQ resource center run by her yoga center.
Knapp said he believes the event has landed on the Proud Boys’ radar because it was posted on LibsOfTikTok. She says it then seemed to go viral, and Knapp and other organizers began receiving aggressive messages and death threats.
“LibsOfTikTok” is a social media account with hundreds of thousands of followers. I often repost videos and photos of LGBTQ+ people.Incendiary framework” and the goal of pissing off the viewer.
Knapp has hosted drag brunch events at Hugger Mugger in the past and had no problems. In June 2022, the event was so well received that a second show was added. Both performances are sold out. There was a backlash with a couple of protesters outside the venue. Knapp said the protesters were peaceful and only handed out Bible literature for about 30 minutes before leaving.
“The October 30th event was a mess,” says Knapp. “The Proud Boys were very hostile and openly harassed patrons who came in and out of the brewery. They called them groomers and pedophiles and tried to intimidate everyone. The Boys came to fight, wearing masks and bulletproof vests.”
The Proud Boys were so hostile that they eventually called the Sanford Police Department, and several uniformed officers remained at the event, Knapp says.
Photographer Anthony Crider documented the protests, Share photos and videos on his Flickr When on TwitterThe photo shows a man in full black and yellow from the Proud Boys.
“We are everywhere” reads the flag.
One guy flashed what was supposed to be “White power hand sign to the cameraHand signals have been seen in some photos.
“Join your local Proud Boys.be a man among men’ read the little leaflet.
But what was inside was another story.
Knapp called the atmosphere “fun” and said people were happy to be in a safe place to express themselves. I lip-synced to a fun song with the crowd.
“I want our LGBTQ community to know that they are loved and supported. I showed my support by donating to the resource center. We are proud of our LGBTQ community. Loved and supported by many people. And we are not going to withdraw our support for them. We will continue to advocate for them and allow them to live freely with love and dignity,” Knapp said.
She described the Proud Boys and other groups as “ridiculous”, with some bearing religious signs and others wearing Confederate t-shirts.
It’s not the first time a drug event has become the center of protests in North Carolina, but it’s the first time the Proud Boys have been the center of attention at a protest. vertex, Charlotte, and Raleigh. The drag event has been canceled due to safety concerns.Winston Salem Books Bookmark Attracted protesters at June’s Drag Queen Story Time.
However, in other states The Proud Boys and similar extremist groups have been seen emerging Protest against family-friendly drug event at library. More than 20 people tied to Patriot Front arrested Trailer full of weapons outside of Idaho Pride event.
What are the Proud Boys?
The Proud Boys is an organization of self-proclaimed “Western Chauvinists” founded by Gavin McInnes, former co-founder of VICE Media. They claim to stand for “anti-white guilt” and “anti-political correctness.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Designated as a hate group associated with white nationalism.
They’ve been seen at events like the deadly “Unite the Light” rally in Charlottesville in 2017, hosted by then-proud boy Jason Kessler. People associated with Proud and his Boys have also been charged and convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 riots. A native of Kernersville, he is called Charles Donohoe, a “high-ranking” proud boy.pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
The Sanford group wore patches and waved flags that read “Cape Fear Proud Boys.”
