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H@nsen is a part of a network of right wing media figures in the north Texas area whose presence I've noted at several events featuring extremist groups. Both H@nsen and Neidert can be seen in the background of this video.
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Here's a body camera video that was shared with me by an activist showing @kelly_neidert surrounded by Proud Boys, during which one of them threatens to assault the person wearing the body camera. This was outside a drag brunch for people 21+ in Arlington. twitter.com/wavyvibesRADIO
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We are now in the phase of the far right outrage pipeline where fascistic mouthpieces like Posobiec are framing the situation as if there was a line of trafficked children being smuggled into a stripclub. People, a few of them families, came to Roanoke for a joyful afternoon.
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H@nsen published his video from the drag show. Seven minutes that in large part focuses on filming other people's children without the consent of their parents. Here's the bombshell part about a teacher being in attendance. This content is fair use for the purpose of commentary.
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If you're feeling deja vu reading this, it's because it's all happened before. It's a well oiled outrage machine. I've done my best to document the process of this human-centipede-like network in this thread.
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The recent spate of viral anti-LGBT protests in Texas have a consistent logic and characteristics. Journalists and media observers should take note. 🧵 1. A sketchy "nonprofit" or political group makes a call to action on social media.
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And just like has happened before, we now have Republican members of the state house who have ties to Christian Nationalist groups and militias calling to explicitly criminalize any drag show where a child is present.
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Speaking of militias, I'm fairly certain this is the same member of This Is Texas Freedom Force (note the patch) seen in the video above from outside a drag brunch in Arlington, Texas, where he used lots of slurs and made violent threats while standing alongside Proud Boys.
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Notice the difference between my coverage of the Roanoke drag brunch and these talking heads. I note the presence of Proud Boys and militia, but also armed antifascists. Meanwhile the outrage machine obsesses on "antifa" without explaining that they were they because of fascists.
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This video shared with me by shows the logic that you will see in a lot of comments of the posts by far right wing commentators about the drag brunch in Roanoke, Texas. They can't accep there are armed anti-fascists in North Texas, so It must be the feds!
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NEW: Here's a video taken by a member of the security team organized by that shows an anti-drag protester head butting a woman outside the drag brunch in Roanoke, Texas.
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One of these pushes turned violent when a woman fash attacked a community defender with a headbutt. Fortunately, this attack was handled with minimal violence. Everyone of us can handle these fascists, that’s not the issue. Protecting the families and kids from violence is.
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The man wielding a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat outside the Roanoke drag brunch is a known member of an extremist militia, Ben Ballard. He has menaced multiple LGBTQ events. Here he is with , who wants to ban family friendly drag brunches.
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NEW: the man who made violent threats in the video above has been identified by a tipster as Ben Ballard, a member of the Texas Freedom Force — considered an extremist militia by the FBI. Here he is standing with @BryanforHD2, a state rep who wants to ban drag shows for kids.
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