Horrified passersby captured a group of Nazi protestors gathered outside Disney World on Saturday holding flags bearing swastikas as well as racial and homophobic slurs. Their signs also showed support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for president.
“This is the 2023 Republican Party,” wrote gun violence activist Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, alongside a photo of the demonstration.
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“Absolutely disgusting,” said state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D), whose district encompasses the Orlando area.
Eskamani posted video that was sent to her of the Nazis, in which they can be heard yelling, “Go back to Mexico.”
Journalists and groups like Miami Against Fascism have been working to publicly expose the identities of the protestors.
It is no surprise that the white supremacist group was expressing support for DeSantis, who has used the demonization of people of color and queer folks as a cornerstone of his political career.
DeSantis has gone to war with Disney over its opposition to his Don’t Say Gay law, launched numerous blindsides attacking “woke indoctrination” in schools and taken control of the state’s education system with handpicked administrators and the power of the bully pulpit. His staff has regularly smeared LGBTQ+ people and allies on social media with vile slurs and insinuations of sexual abuse.
White supremacist groups have thrown their support behind DeSantis for a while. Last summer, DeSantis ignored repeated calls for him to denounce a group of Nazi demonstrators marching outside a Turning Point USA event. In addition to swastika flags, the group held posters expressing support for DeSantis.
DeSantis has also repeatedly spoken about his desire to abuse executive power to get what he wants, should he manage to win the presidency.
The Nazis likely chose Disney as their venue to wave their flags due to DeSantis’s ongoing feud with the corporation. Disney is currently suing DeSantis for “a targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company spoke out against the Don’t Say Gay law.
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