Five people have been arrested after protests and clashes between counter-protesters at a drag queen story hour in the UK.
The incident took place at the Honor Oak pub in Forest Hill on Saturday.
Turning Point UK protest drag storytime at Honor Oak vs. the Counter-Protesters. The right wing has a poor performance, maybe 30 of them at most pic.twitter.com/C9bm7K7nV0
— Fergus (@desmostylian) February 25, 2023
There was a minor scuffle earlier, with police tackling a man in a black hoodie and mask, but no further incidents. A lot of Turning Point people were hanging around the edge of the line with cameras trying to start something pic.twitter.com/JyM6zqXUEv
— Fergus (@desmostylian) February 25, 2023
Ahead of the planned event and protests, Honor Oak Pub released a statement on Facebook insisting the event was family friendly and suitable for young children.
“We have noticed that there may be some misunderstandings about the event, so we want to assure you that our popular magical story telling event is age appropriate and no different from what families see and experience together. A theatre,” wrote Pub.
The Daily Mail reports that drag queen “That Girl” who was involved in the event released a statement on social media saying, “We have been made aware of plans to protest our event and are grateful to those who volunteered to participate. In solidarity with us.”
“If you are safe and able to join us, please come, our event will be an extraordinary show of joy and solidarity,” the statement continued. “We ask you not to engage with any of the protesters – they are not looking for dialogue and we will not honor their bigotry with a response.”
The drag queen continued, “There is security on site if you need it. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you. “
According to a report by Southwark News, “Although police said the protests were ‘largely peaceful’, five people were arrested – three for trespassing, one for a public order offence, and one for assaulting an emergency worker and possessing an offensive weapon.”
Lewisham’s National Education Union (NEU), which represents teachers, took part in the counter-protest, tweeting, “We will not allow transphobic bigots to come unopposed into our community and far-right organizations to sow division. The community responded positively. “
