Man Arrested During Protest at a Drag Story Hour in NYC

A man was arrested and another was left bloodied as dozens of people protested a Drag Story Hour event in New York City on Sunday, according to videos shared on social media and in local news reports. At least some of the protesters appeared to be affiliated with the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group.

The protest took place outside the LGBTQ Community Center in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood, where New York Attorney General Letitia James was hosting a Drag Story Hour event, with drag performers reading children’s books to kids and their families. Drag has deep historical ties to the LGBTQ community, and the center is just a short walk away from the iconic Stonewall Inn, arguably the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.

A video posted on Twitter by a journalist affiliated with the local media site FreedomNews.tv shows a protester wearing a gold Anonymous mask being apprehended by police. A police spokesperson confirmed in an email that the masked man, Robert Porco, 53, of Fishkill, New York, “was arrested and was charged with Assault,” saying “he approached a victim and struck him in the face.” The victim suffered a “physical injury to his face” and “swelling to his nose” but was not hospitalized, the spokesperson said.

Read the source article at nbcnews.com