Congrats to #FallRiverPride on a successful Pride event!

:better_pride: :heart_transgender:

https://nitter.net/frprideco/status/1666093113226711045

https://nitter.net/1312FAS/status/1666487584007020570

#LGBTQPride #Massachusetts #FallRiverMA

The real reason NSC didn't show at #FallRiverMA is because they'd have looked like the pathetic losers they are. The community showed up in a really big way for their Pride Committee today!

I guess it's more fun to pick on unprotected little kids than people your own size if you're a bully. #FuckNazis

Props to the fine folks who came to Fall River today to protect the library patrons and the kiddos at their story hour. :better_pride: Well done all.

❤️

Gutted to learn that while we were protecting folks in #FallRiverMA, fascists were attacking a drag story hour in #TauntonMA.

If you have more information on what occurred in Taunton, we'd love to hear more details and see any pictures folks were able to take of the fascists.

Unfortunately, fascists in Massachusetts do not announce where they will be ahead of time. They know that if they announce where they will be that resistance will be overwhelming. Instead, they show up unannounced and intimidate people who are not prepared for them.

The solution is for people everywhere to be prepared for them. If you live in Taunton, MA, and want to be ready for next time, let us know. We'd love to help.

You can do this. Every community can be like Fall River and fight back. Be strong and show the Nazis we won't tolerate them in our state.

#FuckNazis #FuckNSC #Antifascism #Massachusetts

https://twitter.com/NEAntifaAction/status/1614339336790773761?t=f_V5eHsNRibFOVp4PuMY-Q&s=19

Copying here the statement from #FallRiverPride on the events of December 10 in #FallRiverMA #Massachusetts:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RE: Nazi Hate Groups at Fall River Drag Story Hour

In a shocking display of hatred, actual Nazi group NSC-131 (listed as a hate group by the ADL) showed up to the Fall River Pride Committee's Drag Story Hour on Saturday December 10th. Our reader for this month was the Gothfather and the books we read were: Santa's Husband; Beautiful, Night before Hanukkah; and Why Johnny Doesn't Flap: NT is okay! We had Christmas ornaments for the children to decorate and take home. We had around 25 people (adults and children) attend the story time, most of which were families. Unfortunately, more than 20 NSC-131 protesters held a large sign that claimed "All Drag Queens are Pedophiles". The NSC-131 group was also joined by another dozen members of the Proud Boys/Super Happy Fun America who held signs reading "This library perverts kids" and "Stop sexual indoctrination of children".

These protesters screamed multiple obscenities including "F*ggot F*ggot F*ggot", "Nazism is the Way", and "Go Kill Yourselves". They pushed parents and children who were simply trying to attend story time, at one point directly screaming at a mother that she "needed a man". They repeatedly harassed a Jewish member of the Pride Committee because they wore a yarmulke. They screamed directly in the face of the President of the Pride Committee "fat f*ggot tranny pedophile" as they parked their car.

This kind of hatred is inexcusable. This kind of hatred incites violence. This kind of hatred has no place in the 21 century. An entire World War was fought to extinguish this kind of genocidal ideology. The silence from Fall River City Officials has been deafening to say the least. The attitude of the FRPD was flippant at best. They ignored the direct threats these groups made in some bizarre defense of 1st Amendment rights. 1st Amendment rights do not and should not allow for direct calls to violence... which is exactly what happened here. At our last Drag Story Time on November 5th, the Fall River Police Department was called and when they arrived they said to everyone (Proud Boys and De-escalators/Pride Committee Members) that they needed to get off the sidewalk or they would be arrested. This time on December 10th the FRPD was there and seemed to standby and allow these Nazi groups to say and do what they wanted.

LGBTQ people exist, LGBTQ kids exist, and we will not be shamed back into the closet because fearful bigots want to exterminate us. We stand by the books we read, we stand by our drag performers, we stand by the parents who support us, and we stand by the library who welcomed us with open arms. We stand together as a community because this fear and hatred cannot go on unchecked.

Luckily, we are not in this alone. We had support from local de-escalators groups such as SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) and DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). We also had members of our Pride Committee and the local faith community, including Father James from the local Episcopal Congregation.

We also wanted to include statements from those who actually attended Drag Story Time.

Those include: "I enjoy attending drag story time with my little one because I believe that children should be taught love, acceptance and diversity. It is important to let our children know that no matter what they are loved. They should feel safe to be their true authentic selves." - Colleen DaCosta

"We attend drag time story time as a family because teaching our children about different beliefs, ways of being, and cultures teaches them about acceptance and love not only for peers but themselves." -Samantha DaCosta

Drag Story Time is NOT what it has presented in extremist news reporting. The VAST majority of story times simply feature a performer who reads stories of love, inclusion, and acceptance. Drag Story Time is NOT what you would see at a bar at 1am. Those are completely different contexts. Mainstream American audiences have been being entertained by drag for decades including on popular TV show MASH, Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire, multiple Tyler Perry Madea movies, and even Bugs Bunny. The outrage today is completely manufactured by a false narrative that LGBTQ people "prey" on children. It was screamed loudly into our faces that "trans ideology" is "recruiting" and "grooming" children. In reality, we are being the adults that we queer kids needed when we were young. We cannot stress how much representation matters. We cannot stress enough that we are here to put the safety of queer kids over the mild discomfort of cisgender heterosexual adults.

There is so much education that needs to happen here. We are here to discuss, debate, and deliberate the best ways to educate youth regarding sensitive topics of gender, sex, relationships, and identity. What we will not tolerate is our erasure and demonization at the hands of those who hold actually abhorrent beliefs that have triggered world wars.

We will not be silenced. We will not be shamed. And we will not back down.

(The original release can be found here on Twitter: twitter.com/frprideco/status/1602435172695265280)

#AmericanIronFront #Massachusetts was part of a coalition of community groups that gathered in #FallRiverMA to protect attendees and presenters at a Drag Story Hour.

The event was joyful, the kids had fun, and the Gothfather was fabulous. Fall River Pride Committee should be ✨so✨ proud for running such a wonderful event. :better_pride:

Meanwhile, the New England neo-Nazi group NSC-131 stood outside the library and hurled slurs at LGBTQ and Jewish people while making the Nazi salute and intimidating passers-by. At one point they stormed the library and pounded on the front doors.

Community defenders shielded children and parents with our bodies and distracted them with jokes and silly stories so they could feel safe and have fun on their way to and from the event.

Overall there were at least 30 neo-Nazis and proud boys there to intimidate 10-15 children and their parents for attending a story hour.

It's shameful these groups feel comfortable acting this way, and we won't stand for it. Nazis have no place in our Commonwealth.

If you've been thinking of getting into community defense, if you can't tolerate Nazis in your community, if you're thinking to yourself "this is completely unacceptable," the time for action is NOW. Get involved. This is our responsibility. This is something we must do to keep our community safe.

The police are not going to do this for us. We have to stand up to the Nazis ourselves.

#FuckNazis #WeProtectUs #CommunityDefense #Antifascism