Members of an ultra-right group, “L’Oriflamme Rennes”, dressed in black and hooded, equipped with banners and smoke bombs, demonstrated on Saturday in front of the Saint-Senoux media library, in Ille-et-Vilaine. The reason ? A children’s reading workshop on gender identity led by drag queens.
In a press release entitled “To Our children inculcate our roots, do not impose the Drag Queens”, published on their Twitter page, they had condemned “a moment of propaganda orchestrated by the LGBT lobby in order to shape the consciences of the young generations still deprived of any critical spirit”. “We will not let the extreme right impose its censorship, nor terrorize the population”, replied the Breton municipality, after the disruption of this reading workshop.
Moreover, despite this disruption, the workshop was able to take place in this town of 1,800 inhabitants, located 30 km south of Rennes. The presence of elected officials and residents “come to support” as well as “many gendarmes” made it possible “to ensure the safety of the artists, the children and their parents as well as the smooth running of the show”, specified the city hall.
“The remarks of the RN set fire to the powder”
“The drag readings for 3-6 year olds are the result of a proposal by the artists, from two albums: Families by Georgette (Didier Youth edition) and Fred gets dressed by Peter Brown (Kaleidoscope edition), both borrowed from the departmental media library, ”said the town hall. “The theme thus proposed on Gender equality, let’s talk about it is seen in the direction of the deconstruction of stereotypes and focuses on the acceptance of oneself and of others, the municipality wishing to address a variety of contemporary themes”.
The town hall also pointed the finger at the National Rally, which would have distributed flyers in the area. “The remarks of the RN, which brilliantly combine lies and demagogy, set fire to the powder”, estimates the municipality. Contacted, the Ille-et-Vilaine RN did not react immediately.
In a statement, MP BIA Mathilde Hignet denounced the actions of the far right “in rural areas”. She added: “I recently alerted the sub-prefect of Redon about the actions carried out by these small groups which are rampant in the south of Ille-et-Vilaine (…). In the face of this hate speech, the groups that are the authors of it must be dissolved and prosecuted”.