A Florida man has been arrested for leading a protest outside Walt Disney World in June in which participants waved Nazi swastika and DeSantis 2024 flags.
The protest was one of three we’ve heard about this year, the first taking place in May and the latest taking place just earlier this month.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Jason Brown, 48, from Cape Canaveral. Brown claimed membership of the neo-Nazi group Order of the Black Sun, which is based in Florida.
Despite the Nazi protestors showing support for Governor DeSantis, the arrest was thanks to a law that DeSantis signed, Florida Politics reports, that forbids the display of images on structures without permission.
The June protest included protestors hanging swastika flags and other antisemitic banners from the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge over I-4, a violation of the relatively recent law. Free speech is still allowed — the law hinges on the images being on structures. Had the protestors just been holding the flags, the law would not apply.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass thanked DeSantis for signing the law, “giving us the tools to arrest this hate-filled radical.” He continued, “This activity will not be tolerated in the greatest state in the country, Florida.”
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner said, “Florida is a law-and-order state. Today’s arrest demonstrates Florida’s commitment to protecting residents from attention-seeking extremists.”
Kerner also thanked DeSantis on behalf of himself and Florida Highway Patrol Col. Gary Howze, who assisted in the investigation, for “working to rid this state of intimidation, vitriol and hate directed towards people of faith, and for empowering law enforcement to do the same.”
The FDLE has outstanding warrants for three others who participated in the protest, but they do not live in Florida.
On September 2, protestors hung a banner over the Walt Disney World sign, which could lead to more warrants and arrests.
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