On the 18th of December, the Proud Boys (an extreme-right terrorist group)descended on the venue putting on a drag show in Jacksonville, FL. Defenders prepared for the worst and safely got people inside. Before the show could even begin, the Proud Boys quit the field, possibly to watch football or soccer. There was no sign of them at the Shell station where they had parked their cars.

Reports that they were awaiting reinforcements and would then attempt to storm the venue came to nothing. Instead, a few of them returned “out of uniform” and attempted to infiltrate the event in pairs. Not a single pair of them managed to get inside, and the event took place with zero disruption all the way to the end. When the Proud Boys left early, defenders moved into the space they had abandoned and took it over

The Proud Boys had a specific demand: that LGBTQ youth under age 18 be excluded and presumably that IDs be checked. This demand was defied and the Proud Boys held at bay. Over 18 only shows have also been harassed by them, and submitting to ANY demand would only bring new demands. The world learned Fascists operate this way from former UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s discredited attempt to appease Hitler. Fascists and Nazis cannot be appeased, only resisted whatever the cost and whatever it takes.