Moms for Liberty blasted as 'Klanned Karenhood' by protesters in Philadelphia

Moms for Liberty, the far-right group seeking to control school boards and school curricula across the country, gathered in Philadelphia on Friday for a convention featuring former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and a number of other Republican candidates and officials effusing praise for their mission.

But outside the Philadelphia Marriott, it was a different story, as protesters raged against their presence, reported The Daily Beast.

"While many of the protesters were natives of the City of Brotherly Love, others revealed they'd traveled long distances to join the opposition. LaTarndra Strong, Olivia Strong, and Heather Redding drove seven hours from North Carolina — getting up at 3:30 in the morning — and showed up outside the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown with signs that declared, 'We Don't Co-Parent With Fascists,' and 'Klanned Karenhood: Coming For a School Near You,'" reported Katie Baker. "LaTarndra Strong, who runs a group called the Hate-Free Schools Coalition, said of M4L, 'I want to make sure that this organization understands that exclusion is never OK.' She added, 'We want to fight against white supremacy… they’re not your average PTA. They’re opening doors to something that's very dangerous for this country.'"

Some of the protesters placed door hangers on the hotel rooms, saying things like "PLEASE DISTURB — FASCISM IN PROGRESS" and "Agenda PAC welcomes you to the Gayborhood! Hate has no place in Philly."

Many of the protesters have had their own lives personally upended by discrimination, noted the report: "Two young activists who arrived at the protest on Friday, Portia Maidment and Stella Moore, said they wanted M4L to know that 'what school is supposed to do is prepare you for life. And it’s not serving anybody to promote hatred' ... Moore moved to Philadelphia when they were kicked out of Brigham Young University after a roommate outed them. BYU officials 'pulled me into the office, found out I was in a relationship with a woman, and expelled me from school,' said Moore, who grew up Mormon. 'They took away your scholarship and left you $10,000 in debt for being queer. It was awful,' Maidment chimed in."

Moms for Liberty bills itself as a grassroots parental rights organization. However, reporting has indicated the group has extensive ties to the Proud Boys, who helped carry out the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as Christian nationalists and QAnon conspiracy theorists. Despite this, many Republicans have forged close relationships with the group, with DeSantis even accepting their "sword of liberty" award.