Tate Britain drag queen storytelling protester ‘used paedophilia and grooming slurs’, court hears
protester who tried to disrupt a drag queen story-telling event at Tate Britain is accused of saying gay men were “indoctrinating children into paedophilia”, a court has heard.
Lance O’Connor, 59, was one of the demonstrators against the Drag Queen Story Hour UK hosted by Aida H Dee on February 11, and was among a small group who entered the famous gallery in a bid to get into the event itself.
Westminster magistrates court heard O’Connor and his associates were blocked from the first-floor gallery where the event was held, and he is then accused of saying a string of homophobic and transphobic slurs.
Prosecutor Luke Staton said organisers decided – as a result of protests for and against the event – that only families with children would be allowed inside the room itself.
The court heard Tate Britain operations manager Matthew Rowan was among those who stopped O’Connor from going into the event.
“The defendant was aggressive and intimidating towards Mr Rowan, standing in close proximity to him and demanding to be let in”, said Mr Staton.
“The Crown says the defendant displayed the same behaviour towards members of the public trying to attend that event.
“At one stage, when a mother and daughter attempted to enter the event room, the defendant said words to the effect of ‘they are indoctrinating children in there – there’s a man dressed as a woman and he is defending paedophiles’.
Protesters outside Tate Britain in London in February (James Manning/PA)
“The defendant also said to Mr Rowan words to the effect of ‘it’s not appropriate for a man to wear women’s clothing’ and made further comments about grooming and paedophilia.
“The Crown’s case is those words caused Mr Rowan harassment, alarm, or distress.”
Giving evidence, Mr Rowan said when told it was a family-only event the group claimed to be a family, and O’Connor then said one of his associates “identified as a six-year-old”.
The incident was “quite upsetting”, he told the court, saying: “To be in my place of work which should be a safe place for anyone, to have someone who is aggressive and filming me and trying to get a reaction out of me, it was very uncomfortable.”
Lance O’Connor is accused of hate speech at a drag queen story telling event at the Tate Britain
He continued: “As a gay man, I felt very uncomfortable with the claims of indoctrination, grooming, and talking about paedophilia, they are tropes used against gay people to my knowledge growing up.”
Mr Rowan said the incident has been “ingrained in my mind” since, adding: “Although the claims of indoctrination, paedophilia, and grooming were not directed at me on this occasion, as a gay man it does hurt to hear these kind of accusations against someone else.
“These sorts of things were said to me in the past in the 1980s as I was growing up.”
Mr Staton said a police liaison officer, PC Anderson De Santis, arrived to try to defuse the dispute.
Protesters outside Tate Britain (James Manning/PA)
“PC De Santis heard the defendant say words to the effect of ‘you are indoctrinating young children into paedophilia”, he said.
“When confronted, the defendant said words to the effect of ‘that’s right, they are indoctrinating their children into paedophilia’.
“The defendant also made comments about gay men wanting to dress up as women and indoctrinating children into paedophilia.”
It is said O’Connor refused to leave the Tate Britain and was then arrested.
O’Connor, from Plaistow in east London, who asked to be referred to simply as “Lance” in court, denies three public order offences. He is accused of causing harassment, alarm, or distress to both Mr Rowan and PC De Santis.
Defence lawyer Sundeep Pankhania told the court O’Connor “is not anti-trans”, he disputes some of the comments attributed to him, and he says he was protesting about Ada H Dee’s alleged link to another drag queen Darren Moore, now deceased, with a “troubled past”.
The trial continues.
protester who tried to disrupt a drag queen story-telling event at Tate Britain is accused of saying gay men were “indoctrinating children into paedophilia”, a court has heard.
Lance O’Connor, 59, was one of the demonstrators against the Drag Queen Story Hour UK hosted by Aida H Dee on February 11, and was among a small group who entered the famous gallery in a bid to get into the event itself.
Westminster magistrates court heard O’Connor and his associates were blocked from the first-floor gallery where the event was held, and he is then accused of saying a string of homophobic and transphobic slurs.
Prosecutor Luke Staton said organisers decided – as a result of protests for and against the event – that only families with children would be allowed inside the room itself.
The court heard Tate Britain operations manager Matthew Rowan was among those who stopped O’Connor from going into the event.
“The defendant was aggressive and intimidating towards Mr Rowan, standing in close proximity to him and demanding to be let in”, said Mr Staton.
“The Crown says the defendant displayed the same behaviour towards members of the public trying to attend that event.
“At one stage, when a mother and daughter attempted to enter the event room, the defendant said words to the effect of ‘they are indoctrinating children in there – there’s a man dressed as a woman and he is defending paedophiles’.
Protesters outside Tate Britain in London in February (James Manning/PA)
“The defendant also said to Mr Rowan words to the effect of ‘it’s not appropriate for a man to wear women’s clothing’ and made further comments about grooming and paedophilia.
“The Crown’s case is those words caused Mr Rowan harassment, alarm, or distress.”
Giving evidence, Mr Rowan said when told it was a family-only event the group claimed to be a family, and O’Connor then said one of his associates “identified as a six-year-old”.
The incident was “quite upsetting”, he told the court, saying: “To be in my place of work which should be a safe place for anyone, to have someone who is aggressive and filming me and trying to get a reaction out of me, it was very uncomfortable.”
Lance O’Connor is accused of hate speech at a drag queen story telling event at the Tate Britain
/ PAHe continued: “As a gay man, I felt very uncomfortable with the claims of indoctrination, grooming, and talking about paedophilia, they are tropes used against gay people to my knowledge growing up.”
Mr Rowan said the incident has been “ingrained in my mind” since, adding: “Although the claims of indoctrination, paedophilia, and grooming were not directed at me on this occasion, as a gay man it does hurt to hear these kind of accusations against someone else.
“These sorts of things were said to me in the past in the 1980s as I was growing up.”
Mr Staton said a police liaison officer, PC Anderson De Santis, arrived to try to defuse the dispute.
Protesters outside Tate Britain (James Manning/PA)
/ PA Wire“PC De Santis heard the defendant say words to the effect of ‘you are indoctrinating young children into paedophilia”, he said.
“When confronted, the defendant said words to the effect of ‘that’s right, they are indoctrinating their children into paedophilia’.
“The defendant also made comments about gay men wanting to dress up as women and indoctrinating children into paedophilia.”
It is said O’Connor refused to leave the Tate Britain and was then arrested.
O’Connor, from Plaistow in east London, who asked to be referred to simply as “Lance” in court, denies three public order offences. He is accused of causing harassment, alarm, or distress to both Mr Rowan and PC De Santis.
Defence lawyer Sundeep Pankhania told the court O’Connor “is not anti-trans”, he disputes some of the comments attributed to him, and he says he was protesting about Ada H Dee’s alleged link to another drag queen Darren Moore, now deceased, with a “troubled past”.
The trial continues.
