WATERTOWN, Wis. — Following a Neo-Nazi demonstration in response to an all-ages drag show at a Pride in the Park event in Watertown over the weekend, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers released a statement to condemn what he referred to as a “disgusting and direct attack on our state’s LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites.”
On Saturday, July 29, protestors gathered in response to an all-ages drag show at the Pride in the Park event in Watertown — a city between Dodge and Jefferson counties.
A significant presence was established by a nonprofit group called ‘Gays Against Groomers,’ which claims to combat the sexualization of children. However, the situation grew more dire when a dozen masked Neo-Nazis arrived to the protest. They were seen waving swastika flags, shouting homophobic rhetoric and performing Nazi salutes.
“I am especially alarmed that these individuals chose to disrupt, intimidate, and harass kids, people, and families who were attending a local Pride event aimed at celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ community,” Gov. Evers continued. “This is dangerous, hateful behavior, and it should be condemned in all of its forms and by every elected official at every level, and that includes all those who continue to push radical rhetoric, divisive legislation and litigation, and falsehoods and disinformation about the LGBTQ community—those words, those actions, and those policies have real and harmful consequences.
“LGBTQ Wisconsinites deserve to be treated with dignity, decency, kindness, and respect just like every other Wisconsinite, and they deserve to be safe being who they are without fear or threat of shame, harassment, intimidation, or violence. I will continue to support and protect them.”
The Watertown Police Department had a significant presence on-site and to this point, there is no evidence to suggest the situation escalated beyond this demonstration.
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