A group of neo-Nazis gathered in Orlando, FL on Saturday and reportedly shouted, among other things, “Jews will not replace us.”
NBC News and Insider reported that the white supremacist groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League also chanted “We are everywhere,” “white power” and “Heil Hitler” as they waved swastika flags at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs. More than 50 people reportedly attended this rally, which the groups referred to as “March of the Redshirts.” Earlier on Saturday, other neo-Nazi groups reportedly held a similar rally in outside of Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs.
Altamonte Springs Police Department Senior Police Officer Deana DiPaola said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel, “Our police officers were ready and available to respond appropriately to any potential public safety threat while also being mindful of constitutional freedom of speech… Although the message was disturbing, no actions rose to the level of arrest.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to NBC News regarding the rally outside of Disney Springs, “We know these groups demonstrate in high profile areas in order to agitate and incite people with antisemitic symbols and slurs. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office deplores hate speech in any form, but people have the First Amendment right to demonstrate. What these groups do is revolting and condemned in the strongest way by Sheriff [John] Mina and the Sheriff’s Office. They are looking for attention, and specifically media attention.”
The United States Holocaust Museum posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The Neo-Nazism on public display in Florida is deeply alarming. History teaches what can happen if it is allowed to flourish unchecked. Learn more about the origins of some of the words and symbols on display.”
The Neo-Nazism on public display in Florida is deeply alarming. History teaches what can happen if it is allowed to flourish unchecked. Learn more about the origins of some of the words and symbols on display. https://t.co/xEu0dO6BLn
— US Holocaust Museum (@HolocaustMuseum) September 3, 2023
Jewish groups also denounced the neo-Nazi groups.
“Appalling to see Nazi flags and such raw displays of #antisemitism and #racism in Florida yesterday, only one week after the fatal hate crime in Jacksonville,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt posted on X. “Elected leaders on both sides should denounce this activity and stop the normalization of hate.” On August 26, a gunman shot and killed three Black people before killing himself at a Dollar General store in a Jacksonville neighborhood. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters told CNN that the gunman––who was white––was driven by racial animus, as the gunman “hated Blacks, and I think he hated just about everyone that wasn’t white.”
Appalling to see Nazi flags and such raw displays of #antisemitism and #racism in Florida yesterday, only one week after the fatal hate crime in Jacksonville. Elected leaders on both sides should denounce this activity and stop the normalization of hate. https://t.co/0o4TvcnX05
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) September 3, 2023
The American Jewish Committee similarly posted on X, “A grotesque display of hate in Florida yesterday as white supremacists paraded with symbols of antisemitism and bigotry. Their chants of ‘white power’ and ‘Jews will not replace us’ are a chilling reminder of the danger these groups pose to society. We need leaders at every level loudly condemning this hate and antisemitism.”
A grotesque display of hate in Florida yesterday as white supremacists paraded with symbols of antisemitism and bigotry.
Their chants of "white power" and "Jews will not replace us" are a chilling reminder of the danger these groups pose to society.
We need leaders at every… pic.twitter.com/oUGwQyGUIw
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) September 3, 2023
