For millions of guests every year a trip to Walt Disney World is an escape from reality. But those visiting the vacation kingdom over this past weekend were unfortunately given a dose of the worst parts of reality when a white supremacist rally of approximately two dozen people gathered outside the main entrance to Walt Disney World. The video has now gone viral as the power full images of Nazi flags next to the face of Mickey Mouse have shocked many.
The protest also took on a political contingent as among the actual swastikas there were also flags supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2024 Presidential campaign. While certainly no candidate can control who carries their flags, considering the political fight that Walt Disney World and DeSantis are currently involved in, one might be able to see a connection. A video on Twitter has been circlulating, you can see it below:
Nazis outside of Walt Disney World right now — absolutely disgusting. pic.twitter.com/WeXtRi3OSLJune 10, 2023
The video came from the social media Florida state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, and shows several people outside Disney World’s main entrance and a sign with the face of Governor DeSantis can clearly be seen. A flag promoting the Governor’s Presidential bid can also be seen in other videos that have gone viral from the event. While the evidence doesn’t indicate this was done specifically to support the governor in his battle against Walt Disney World, the connection is giving some reason to pause.
Disney recently sued Ron DeSantis and others in the Florida government over what the company claims are a series of retaliatory measures against it following Disney’s decision to speak out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known as “Don’t Say Gay” by those in opposition. The special district in place to oversee Walt Disney World since the 1960s has been replaced by a new governmental body appointed by the governor, the only district of the hundreds in the state to see such changes.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the organization that DeSantis put in place to oversee Walt Disney World, has filed its own lawsuit against Disney over a land deal signed between Disney World and the old board. Disney recently canceled plans to spend nearly $1 billion on a new campus and move a couple of thousand jobs into the state. It's clear that the relationship between Disney and Florida has drastically changed.
DeSantis has attacked Disney on multiple occasions claiming the company has a “woke agenda” and vowing to fight against it. It’s unclear if the decision for this group to stand outside Disney World was meant as a specific attack against the resort, or simply due to the likelihood that they knew they would get more attention outside Disney World than elsewhere.
Another video pic.twitter.com/dYT1AgU3zDJune 10, 2023
The purpose of all this was almost certainly to agitate those around them and based on the online reaction, it has certainly succeeded. The Governor’s office has not commented on the fact that this group used his name and likeness as part of the rally. Likewise Disney World has not commented on the events that happened just outside the entrance to their resort.
