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By Anders Anglesey
U.S. News Reporter
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Neo-Nazis have marched across a Florida town giving fascist salutes and chanting "We are everywhere."
A series of videos uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, this weekend showed dozens of people dressed as Nazis shouting racist abuse in Altamonte Springs in north Orlando on Saturday, September 2.
A video shared by Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani said it was filmed in Cranes Roost Park in the center of the town. Another series of clips uploaded to X by journalist Oliya Scootercaster shows men dressed in red and black giving Nazi salutes on an overpass, although it was not clear if the groups were connected.
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The footage also contained several instances of racist speech and harassment toward Jewish people and anti-racists.
In videos uploaded to X, white supremacist and Goyim Defense League (GDL) founder Jon Minadeo II and the leader of neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, Christopher Pohlhaus, were present. Among the racist stunts carried out by the pair in the past is a recording of Minadeo displaying far-right propaganda at the gates of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz last year.
In the footage, some members of the group said they supported President Joe Biden over his support for Ukraine and, by extension, the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, while another group was heard saying he supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, although he backtracked on the statement later.
Neo-Nazis and other white supremacist groups have a history of trolling and paradoxically endorsing causes they do not agree with, including politics. Many neo-Nazis and white supremacists reject both the Democrats and Republicans over their support for Israel.
Former Florida Republican candidate for Congress, Laura Loomer, who is Jewish, was harassed by the group while she recorded them on her phone.
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Since the videos were uploaded to X, they have been viewed more than 2 million times combined.
Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, told Newsweek: "Members of the GDL are dangerous criminals with records of assault, pedophilia, arson, and domestic abuse.
"The collaboration between the white supremacist groups GDL and Blood Tribe is not surprising: birds of a feather flock together. The joint event created a larger-than-normal crowd meant to be an intimidation tactic.
"These neo-Nazis are cowards who cover their faces while making the 'Heil Hitler' salute and StopAntisemitism calls on Governor DeSantis to condemn the gathering so that these hate-mongers know that they are not welcome in Florida."
Florida has endured other racist incidents this year, including a deadly attack at a Jacksonville Dollar General store which resulted in the deaths of three Black people and the gunman.
Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Ryan Palmer and said the shooting was racially motivated.
In May, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People issued a formal travel advisory for Florida.
Its travel notice stated: "Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by, African Americans and other communities of color."
Florida attracted neo-Nazi protestors who gathered in support of DeSantis' so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill outside the Walt Disney World theme park in June, a move that was condemned by Senator Rick Scott.
Disney World staff spoke out against the infamous bill, which has led to a heated battle between DeSantis and the company.
Newsweek has contacted Eskamani for comment via her website.
Update 9/4/23, 2:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from StopAntisemitism.
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