Group with Nazi flags protest outside Florida children’s museum days after similar stunt at Disney World
Protesters waved swastika flags and chanted ‘f*** you Biden’ into a loud hailer as families watched on
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Your support makes all the difference.Protesters waved Nazi flags and chanted “f*** you Biden” outside of a children’s museum in Florida on Sunday, a viral video posted to TikTok shows.
The small demonstration near the entrance to the Explorations V Children’s Museum in Lakeland came one day after Nazi sympathisers staged a similar protest outside Disney World in Orlando.
“Unbelievable for this to happen in our downtown area while families are trying to enjoy their evening,” wrote @amberc0825, who shared the TikTok which has since been viewed nearly 200,000 times.
The footage of neo-Nazis brazenly displaying swastika flags and signs reading “National Socialism” provoked anger and disbelief on social media.
“This is my hometown and I hate that these people think they can just do this without consequences,” one person commented.
“I’m going to pride in Lakeland this week and honestly, a little frightened,” another wrote.
@amberc0825 Unbelievable for this to happen in our downtown area while families are trying to enjoy their evening. SMH #hatethis #stopthehate #butwhy #crazyflorida #floridagonewild #polkcounty ♬ original sound - amberc0825
“The Greatest Generation fought and died killing Nazis, and their grandchildren are not Nazis. What the hell happened to our nation?” a third person said.
The TikTok user who shared the clip wrote that police officers arrived soon afterwards to defuse the situation.
“It was a mess.. glad the cops came cause I’m sure it could have really gotten ugly,” she posted.
The Independent has contacted the Lakeland Police Department for comment.
On Saturday, a group of around 15 protesters waving Nazi flags and signs supporting Florida governor Ron DeSantis gathered at Disney World, around 40 miles northeast of Lakeland.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement the protest disbanded after about two hours.
In December, neo-Nazis targeted a charity event in Lakeland that featured drag performers, according to Fox13.
Mr DeSantis, a leading candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has targeted Disney with a series of punitive laws after the entertainment conglomerate criticised the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender in classrooms.
The Florida governor stripped Disney of its decades-old self-governing agreement in the Reedy Creek district near Orlando where several of its theme parks and hotels are situated.
In response, Disney sued Mr DeSantis and state officials accusing them of a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.”
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