When a group of Neo-Nazis set up a protest outside the gates of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, there was immediate condemnation and outrage from Florida’s Congressional Delegation. State Representative Anna Eskamani, who represents the, called the demonstration “absolutely disgusting.” Florida Senator Rick Scott called the gathering “heinous.”
However, despite outrage and anger over Neo-Nazis setting up outside the Happiest Place on Earth, one notable voice remained silent on the gathering: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Besides their Nazi flags, the group also flew “DeSantis 2024” banners while they shouted “white power” at passing cars.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Neo-Nazi protests are nothing new in Florida, and the state has seen a dramatic increase in Neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ+ activity in the past three years.
Ben Popp, an investigative researcher at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center of Extremism who specializes in far-right extremism and white supremacy, said that from 2020 to 2021, there was a 72 percent increase in extremist-related incidents in the state. From 2021 to 2022, that number rose by an additional nine percent.
This week’s incident at Walt Disney World is similar to one that occurred in December 2022, when demonstrators waived swastikas near the campus of the University of Central Florida. It took DeSantis more than a week to respond, and when he did, he said that it was Democrats using this incident to smear him. His Press Secretary, Christina Pushaw, criticized reporters asking for a response from the Florida Governor.
According to Popp, the group behind this week’s protest at Disney World is relatively new. The group calls themselves the Order of the Black Sun. It formed earlier this year from members of other white supremacists in Florida.
Popp told the Orlando Sentinel:
You know, they want these sorts of things to be a common occurrence. So that people will sort of get used to this and become desensitized. That’s really their whole goal is to desensitize communities to their hate.
When white supremacist groups hold these types of rallies, they invite other such groups to make themselves seem more significant than they are. The goal is to intimidate the public and to make the public believe they have more followers that share their beliefs than they do.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, approximately 15 Neo-Nazis gathered outside the entrance to Walt Disney World this past Saturday. The Sheriff’s office determined that the extremist group had committed no crime, and no charges were filed.
So, while a hate group flies nazi symbols along with DeSantis 2024 signs, we wait for Florida Gov Ron DeSantis to respond to this latest hate incident in Florida.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
