Neo-Nazis marching near Orlando, Florida, over the weekend were confronted by a Black man in a video that was posted to social media on Sunday.
The Orlando-area has recently been the site of several far-right protests, stirring concerns from local residents amid a nationwide increase in antisemitic and racist hate crimes in recent years. Over the weekend, videos from several neo-Nazi protests were posted to social media, showing neo-Nazis march near Orlando, including at the gates of Walt Disney World.
One neo-Nazi march occurred alongside a busy road off the highway in Altamonte Springs, a suburb north of downtown Orlando. During that rally, participants shouted anti-gay and racist slurs, along with chants of "white power," according to video footage posted by StopAntisemitism on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
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— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) September 2, 2023
The neo-Nazi marchers were confronted by a Black man, who was driving by the protest. Video footage appears to show the participants shouting racial slurs at him, as the man asks, "Why ya'll got those masks on?"—a reference to the cloth neo-Nazis often wear over their face to conceal their identities.
People hold swastika flags as neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League hold a rally on September 2 in Orlando, Florida. Video posted to social media showed a Black man confront neo-Nazis protesting in an Orlando suburb over the weekend.
"WARNING HATE SPEECH: It's important you see this. To know these people exist. During the 'Red Shirts March' of the neo Nazi groups 'Blood Trib' and 'Goyim Defense League' in Orlando, a black man drives by "Why y'all got those masks on" a moment of levity," posted video journalist Sandi Bachom.
This march was one of several recent neo-Nazi events held near Orlando.
Florida state Representative Anna Eskamani posted video footage showing a nearby protest at Cranes Roost Park, also in Altamonte Springs. During that protest, they were shouting, "We are everywhere," she wrote on X on Saturday. "Absolutely disgusting stuff and another example of the far right extremism growing in FL."
An Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told Newsweek on Monday that a separate neo-Nazi protest occurred at the entrance of Walt Disney World on Saturday. The rally began at about 10:40 a.m. ET and lasted for two hours in the area of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and East Buena Vista Drive, near the Disney Springs shopping complex.
No arrests were made, the spokesperson added.
"We know these groups demonstrate in high profile areas in order to agitate and incite people with anti-Semitic 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 Mina and the Sheriff's Office. They are looking for attention, and specifically media attention," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that law enforcement was unsure exactly where or when the Altamonte Springs incident occurred.