A group of masked Antifa protesters, armed with guns, showed up at a Texas drag queen brunch to defend those in attendance — after a group also armed right-wing extremists came to disrupt it.
About 20 children and several self-proclaimed teachers attended the event on Roanoke Sunday, at a trans-activist ‘drag brunch’ at the Anderson Distillery and Grill.
The event saw students sit down for brunch as they watched performances by local drag queens dressed in skimpy outfits—then drew the ire of locals who disapproved of the procession.
As a result, members of several conservative groups planning to end the event gathered at the restaurant around 1 p.m., many of them armed with guns.
However, aware of these efforts, the group of masked anti-fascist counter-protesters also arrived on the scene, blatantly on guard outside the eatery with the semi-automatic riots – fueling tensions between the two opposing forces.
Finally, after exchanging verbal barbs and urging each other, the two groups clashed, in a terrifying encounter captured on video by a local journalist.
The ensuing confrontation, though heated, stopped becoming physical – but came dangerously close to an all-out conflict where lives were likely to be lost due to the sheer number of people carrying firearms on the property.
Police said there were no arrests or police reports made during the incident – and were aware of the planned protests and were stationed in the area as a precaution.
A group of masked Antifa protesters armed with AR-15-style rifles showed up at a Texas drag queen brunch to defend those in attendance — after a group of armed right-wing extremists also arrived to disrupt it
Children and multiple self-proclaimed teachers attended the Roanoke Sunday event, at a trans-activist ‘drag brunch’ at the Anderson Distillery and Grill
News of the controversial drag brunch had spread on social media for days ahead of the afternoon event, with complaints and calls for protests from several concerned local residents.
Last week, the distillery owner, alarmed by the unrest, tried to downplay the astute nature of the event by saying on social media, it would not contain profanity, sexual content or erotica.
“It was never my intention to host an event that would spark controversy, hatred and division,” wrote Jay Anderson amid the growing disagreement. ‘My intention is to welcome people from ALL walks of life to Anderson Distillery & Grill.’
Anderson’s son, Bailey, meanwhile presided over the event – dressed in drag and go under the name Trisha Delish.
Anderson’s foreword, combined with his staff’s clear support for such an event, would prove polarizing — featuring dozens of members of groups like Protect Texas Kids and the Proud Boys, most of whom were armed because of Texas’s lax gun laws.
Protect Texas Kids, founded by outspoken anti-trans activist Kelly Neidert, is seen as an organization that “wants to take a stand in protecting children from the toxic, indoctrinating agenda of the left,” according to its website.
The event saw students sit down for brunch as they watched performances by local drag queens dressed in skimpy outfits—then drew the ire of locals who disapproved of the procession
Also in attendance were members of such as Texas Family Project, a similar Texas-based group that, like the two other groups mentioned above, regularly voiced anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ sentiments.
Prior to the event, Neidert called on supporters to protest the brunch and “put some pressure on the restaurant.”
Members of the groups were supposed to show up in full force, but were still outnumbered by those attending the brunch, which the staff said was sold out.
The inequality was exacerbated by the presence of a dozen Anitfa members, who showed up in front of the school masked and armed with guns, as if to deter the growing number of conservative protesters.
Also in attendance at the protest wars was a masked member of the infamous right-wing Proud Boys, who stood threatening the assembled crowd with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
The group of masked anti-fascist counter-protesters also arrived at the scene and stood boldly on guard outside the eatery with the semi-automatic riots – escalating tensions between the two opposing forces.
The images taken on the spot showed armed counter-protesters standing outside the hall. One of them can be seen clutching a queer Pride flag
The images taken on the spot showed armed counter-protesters standing outside the hall. One of them can be seen holding a queer Pride flag.
Tension would quickly mount between the two fundamentally opposing sides — a nascent schism that was spotted almost immediately by Texas Observer reporter Steven Monacelli, who also attended the event.
Monacelli, who is also a journalist at Rolling Stone, posted a tweet with photos of the protest, none of the unrest. The tweet read: “Anti-trans activists protest a drag brunch in Roanoke, Texas, but are outnumbered by supporters of the event.”
He continued, “I’ve only been here for about five minutes and I’ve seen quite a few heated exchanges.”
The images accompanying Monacelli’s post showed anti-LGBTQ protesters holding signs with messages such as “Christ is KING” and “Drag the queens out of town.”
Also visible were signs that read ‘Kids Can’t Agree’ and ‘Stop Sexualizing Kids’ – with one homophobic scribbled reading: ‘Caution: Monkeypox hotspot approx. 50 meters away. Stay behind.’
As tensions continued to mount, a video of the protest showed a bearded man claiming that another Antifa guard spat on him, nearly provoking a fight.
When approached by an interviewer, the man claimed he was spat on by one of the masked guards after calling one of them “F**king pu****s.”
He said, “I’m here to support people who don’t indoctrinate and take care of little eight-year-old children.”
When a female police officer tried to get the man away from the armed guards, another man wearing an Alex Jones Infowars T-shirt urges the man not to listen to the officer.
Despite the group’s presence, police said there were no arrests or police reports made during the incident – and were aware of the planned protests and were stationed in the area as a precaution.
Another man, meanwhile, expresses anger that the armed guards covered their faces in bandanas and sunglasses, insinuating that they were cowards.
Members of Antifa and Proud Boys often hide their faces to prevent their photos from being taken and identified by police or internet users, especially in the event of a violent collision.
A group called Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (EFJBGC) appeared to take credit for the Antifa members’ presence at the event, appearing to identify the armed masked protesters as members of its organization in a tweet.
‘The homies performing the drag show tomorrow don’t shy away from threats, the show continues. Come on and show your support for the community. Bring a friend,” the post read, shared at 12:30 p.m. local time.
EFJBGC claims ‘[promote] and [assist] marginalized communities in organizing community defenses against white supremacists [and] fascism,” the website said.