Protesters interrupt drag queen story hour in Taunton

TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) — When Amelia Hoard brought her kids to Taunton Public Library’s Drag Queen Story Hour over the weekend, she never expected the free family event to be infiltrated by hostile protesters.

Hoard said drag queen Monica Moore, who was dressed as a princess, was in the middle of reading a book to a crowd of children when three masked men walked into the library.

“The children were having such a good time until the men entered the room,” Hoard recalled. “The tension was palpable.”

The situation escalated when the men began shouting at Moore and interrupting her as she was reading.

Hoard said roughly two dozen masked men were also gathered outside shouting profanities and calling Moore a “child abuser” and “pedophile.”

The Taunton Police Department confirmed four officers were called to the library to assess the situation. By the end of the event, there were 12 officers on hand to keep the peace.

No arrests were made, and the officers ended up escorting the men who interrupted the event outside.

“My children were shaking and crying,” Hoard said. “Your mind goes to the worst possible place for what could happen.”

“My 4-year-old has been having nightmares,” she continued. “She doesn’t get it … she thinks ‘I was listening to a story that a princess was reading to me and then bad guys in masks came in.'”

Hoard was among the crowd of residents who voiced their concerns to the Taunton City Council Tuesday night.

Mayor Shaunna O’Connell condemned the actions of the protesters and stressed that hate has no place in Taunton.

“We wholly condemn the actions, the hate speech and the tactics used by these protesters,” O’Connell said. “They have no place in this community, in this state and in this world.”

O’Connell said the city is still working to assess what happened.

“What we can do better is to ensure future events are conducted safely and in a welcoming environment,” she said.

Residents who spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting claimed the men belonged to a neo-Nazi group, however, police wouldn’t confirm whether the protesters were part of an organization.