Two people were arrested Monday at the apartment building of a New York City Council member after opponents of a drag reading event targeted it with messages the politician described as “pure hate, unmasked,” according to officials.
Two women were arrested on criminal trespass charges around 5 p.m. at council member Erik Bottcher‘s apartment building, according to police and Bottcher.
According to Bottcher, the arrested women entered the building. He posted photos of messages written on the sidewalk outside his house labelling him a “groomer” and a “predator.”
When officers arrived at the building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood, around ten people were demonstrating, according to police. The incident is still being investigated, and the names of those arrested have not been released, according to a department spokesperson.
Bottcher blamed the recent “Drag Story Hour” protests on Twitter. According to NBC New York, a group targeted a public reading event geared toward neurodiverse children at a library in Chelsea on Saturday.
“This is pure hate, unmasked,” gay Bottcher wrote in a tweet that included images of the sidewalk messages. “If they think this is going to intimidate us, they’re mistaken. Our resolve is strengthened.”
The hallways in the building that houses Bottcher’s council district office were also vandalized earlier Monday, according to police. According to police, officers responded to the incident around 3 p.m. and no arrests were made.
Right-wing figures and influencers have targeted drag events, using incendiary rhetoric about “groomers” at times.
Bottcher, who was elected to represent District 3 last year and took office in January, said after the drag reading event on Saturday that reading helps children grow and thanked the organizers of the event.
“Today I witnessed pure hatred and bigotry outside Drag Queen Story Hour at a public library in Chelsea,” said Bottcher. “Inside, I witnessed a loving and peaceful reading of children’s books to kids.”
