Texas Kids’ Drag Brunch Becomes Wild West Showdown Between Antifa and Proud Boys
In recent months, Texas has become a battleground between forces for progress and those focused on preserving what they see
Tristan Green
In recent months, Texas has become a battleground between forces for progress and those focused on preserving what they see as the "Texas way of life." A microcosm of clashes happening around the country, Texas is particularly embattled because the state teeters on the edge between a growing diverse population pushing the state blue, and those who consider it a bastion of traditional American life.
Over the weekend, Antifa and the Proud Boys clashed in the streets in one Texas town over a brunch; specifically, a drag brunch hosted for kids.
Here's what happened and why the two disparate groups of protestors were both there.
Antifa Protestors with Gay Flags and Rifles Clash with Armed Conservative Activists
On Sunday in Roanoke, Texas, a "Barrel Babes Drag Brunch" was being held at the Anderson Distillery & Grille.
Billed as a "place where kindness and inclusion meet fabulous fun," the event quickly turned tense.
Ahead of the event, social media picked up news and spread it locally, which led to conservative protestors – including the White Supremacy group Proud boys – picketed the event, armed. New York Post reports, "Protect Texas Kids — a nonprofit founded by an anti-trans activist to protect “kids form the toxic agenda of the left” — urged its supporters 'to show up in full force and show that the majority of us are against children being involved in these disturbing, sexually explicit shows,' Fox News Digital reported.
Protect Texas Kids protesters were joined by others of their ilk, including a person identified as an alleged member of the far-right neo-fascist Proud Boys group, who was photographed holding a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, the Los Angeles Blade reported.
Pickets appeared outside the crowded eatery carrying signs that read 'Drag the queens out of town' and 'Children cannot consent.' But they were outnumbered by the counter-protesters."
Protestors were confronted by equally-armed Antifa protestors, clad in black concealing clothing and carrying high-capacity weapons, which are legal to carry per Texas law.
Police watched over the event but did not interfere, and it did not in erupt in violence.
Things Stayed Relatively Non-Violent … For Now
However, that doesn't mean it was entirely peaceful. Protestors and counter-protestors shouted at one another, and one conservative protestor accused a member of Antifa of spitting on him.
While things remained relatively peaceful at this event, the same showdown is playing out in towns across America.
In Florida for instance, Governor Ron DeSantis is launching a culture war against "wokeness," which includes what conservative groups call indoctrinating events such as kid-friendly drag shows and library readings. It's an echo of the armed conflicts that arose across the country two years ago, mostly helmed by Proud Boys and Antifa protestors.
Egged on by groups like Moms of Liberty, conservative activists are showing up to these "woke" events to stir trouble. And it is only a matter of time before the clashes become violent again.