Over the weekend, protesters lined up in front of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida with hate-filled signs and speech. Images of Nazi flags and swastikas were captured in videos that circulated on social media of individuals shouting racist and homophobic slurs.
Some signage also supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign. The Republican official has often made headlines for openly speaking against gay rights and inclusion. According to The New York Post, Disney and DeSantis have been at odds for quite some time. The outlet noted that the mega company recently sued the politician “after his administration stripped the Mouse House of semi-autonomous control over the specially created tax district that oversees zoning on the land where the theme parks were built.”
Many community members shared footage of the gathering at “the happiest place on Earth.” Shannon Watts, an avid anti-gun activist, tweeted images on Saturday (June 10). “Two dozen white supremacists are outside the main Disney World entrance in Orlando right now, marching with signs featuring Gov. DeSantis’s face, swastikas, the N-word and homophobic slurs. This is the 2023 Republican Party,” she wrote. Anna Eskamani of the Florida House of Representatives also documented the events. “Nazis outside of Walt Disney World right now — absolutely disgusting,” she said.
Along with Disney, Broadway star Denée Benton isn’t the biggest fan of the 44-year-old. At last night’s (June 11) Tony Awards, the Hamilton actress basically called him a Ku Klux Klan “Grand Wizard.” “”Hi, I’m Denée Benton, actor and proud CMU alum. Earlier tonight, CMU and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award. And while I am certain that the current Grand Wizard… I’m sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida, will be changing… I am sure that he will be changing the name of this following town immediately. We were honored to present this award to the truly incredible and life-changing Jason Zembuch Young, enhancing the lives of students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida,” she declared at the New York ceremony.