Neo-Nazis march in Orlando and protest in front of Disney World
Orlando, Florida - Neo-Nazis took to the streets in the greater Orlando area in Florida on Saturday, with one group rallying outside the entrance to Disney World to spread antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ hate, according to officials.
About 15 people wearing Nazi insignia and waving flags gathered outside the Disney Springs shopping center for about two hours, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers were dispatched to the scene at 10:40 AM EDT Saturday but no arrests had been made by the time the group dispersed, NBC News reported.
The Anti-Defamation League said the group comprised members from extremist white nationalist organizations including the Order of the Black Sun, Aryan Freedom Network, and the National Socialist Movement
Later on Saturday, a group of over 50 neo-Nazis demonstrated across the greater Orlando area, waving flags with swastikas, shouting hateful messages and saluting Adolf Hitler.
The members reportedly chanted rallying cries including "White power" and "Jews will not replace us."
Cops cite First Amendment right of Nazis
The demonstrations serve as the latest examples of growing anti-Semitism in the US.
In May, the Biden administration created the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism which referenced "repeated episodes of hate" since the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally in 2017. There were over 3,600 reported incidents last year of antisemitic assault, harassment, and vandalism in the US, according to ADL.
"The Orange County Sheriff’s Office deplores hate speech in any form, but people have the First Amendment right to demonstrate," law enforcement said in a statement.
"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," it added.
Cover photo: Twitter/Oren Segal