Callington Police have recently issued a stern warning to the local community that they will not accept hate speech or attacks on the basis of protected characteristics, following incidents in response to Drag Queen Story Hour UK visiting the town library.

The event at the town library, which took place last Tuesday afternoon, saw a group of protesters stand outside and shout at adults and children who attended the event.

Rosie Das, a local mum who attended the event with her three-year-old son, said: ‘When we arrived, there was security on the door checking people. I think it was very appropriate and enjoyable session; the majority of children there were aged four to seven. When we left the library, there was more security and a group of protesters outside who had been using propaganda online to support their narrative, shouting that the event was grooming and that children were being sexualised. I saw two police officers present but they weren’t intervening. The protest was limited to just shouting and raised voices but I certainly felt intimidated, as did my son who turned to me and asked why strangers felt the need to shout at others when we got back into the car.’

After the incident at the library, a police spokesperson said: ‘Following information received about possible planned protests, officers attended a number of Drag Queen Story Hour events at libraries across Cornwall last week, including Callington Library. We support the right to peaceful protest and attended to ensure there was no breach of the peace - the events passed without incident.’ More information about hate crime and reporting it can be found on the Devon and Cornwall Police website.

Drag Queen Story Hour UK is currently touring the nation from July 25 to September 1. Their website states they ‘want to show the world that being different is not a bad thing, and by providing imaginative role models for children to look up to, we can change the world book by book.’ They group run events, typically at libraries which parents can sign up to, where adults take their child to hear a story read by a drag performer.

When attending other areas of Cornwall and the UK on their summer tour, the drag acts have faced picketing and protests at some other locations for the past two weeks.

When a post first advertising the Callington Library event was published in the OneCallington Facebook group, it was soon deleted by group administrators due to the hateful comments it received. Callington Police then issued a statement on their Facebook page which read: ‘Whilst people have a freedom of expression, they also have a duty to behave responsibly and to respect other people’s rights. This includes not inciting hatred or discriminating others because of their protected characteristics, such as sexual orientation or gender identity. As a Neighbourhood Team we are disappointed to see some comments being expressed by a very small number of people within our community as we promote inclusion and diversity. Such comments will not be tolerated.’

Police were then forced to turn commenting off for this post, due to the backlash it received from a minority of people.