Neo-Nazis march on Walt Disney World as sick white supremacists seen saluting

03 September 2023 , 21:20

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Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League held a rally as a third group descended on Disney World (Image: Getty Images)

Multiple groups of self-professed neo-Nazis were spotted marching through Orlando this weekend, with one group ending up right at the gates of Walt Disney World.

Videos posted to social media showed the groups, known as 'Blood Tribe' and 'The Goyim Defense League', waving flags with swastikas as they marched through Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida. They were heard shouting "we are everywhere", according to a video shared by a state lawmaker.

Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, shared a tweet saying demonstrators were raising "Heil Hitler" salutes. He said: "Florida is our home and I refuse to hand it over to extremists. We have to stand united against antisemitism, anti-Blackness, and anti-LGBTQ bigotry in order to take our state back."

Members walked along the side of the highway carrying swastika flags (Getty Images)

State Representative Anna V Eskamani called the incident "absolutely disgusting" saying it was an "example of far right extremism growing" in Florida.

According to fliers the two groups came together to organise a 'March of the Redshirts' rally. It came after the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Center on Extremism issued a statement on Friday, September 1, warning that the gatherings were likely to happen at some point in September.

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They warned they "expect the group will likely hold several demonstrations in high visibility locations - such as a sporting or entertainment venue, highway overpass, government building or in front of an LGBTQ+ venue or Jewish institution - in order to attract as much public and media attention as possible."

Members from Blood Tribe and Goyin Defense League came together (Getty Images)

On the same day, Order of the Black Sun, a separate far right extremist group claiming to be affiliated with the 'Aryan Freedom Network' were seen flying flags at the gates of Disney World. They also had flags claiming to support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The group held a similar stunt outside Disney in mid-June, again claiming to support DeSantis. However, Conservative media personality Kyle Becker suggested they weren't necessarily serious and just trying to defame Republicans..

"Here we go with the false glad nonsense again," he said. "These are 'DeSantis supporters' flying neo-Nazi flags outside Disney World. Your life has got to be a sad one to do right-wing cosplay because your ideas suck. It's just so pathetic."

A man does a Nazi salute as the two neo-Nazi groups met in Orlando (Getty Images)

ADL researcher Ben Popp spoke to local media saying the group is a white supremacist network that formed earlier this year. He said the hate group was "well known" to the ADL and that it's made up of individuals who have "been involved in other white supremacist groups and organisations in the state of Florida for the past couple of years."

Blood Tribe members were later spotted on the highway. Journalist and former Congressional candidate Laura Loomer was told by one of the members she should be "thrown in an oven" while also yelling slurs at her.

She was obviously upset with the behaviour of the marchers but defended their right to do it. She tweeted: "Very vitriolic and irrational behaviour. But, it is moments like this that remind us that this is what free speech was created for. Speech you disagree with is also free speech.

The meeting was called 'The March of the Red Shirts' (Dave Decker/REX/Shutterstock)

"While I certainly don't enjoy the way I was treated today while driving home from an afternoon of errands and getting my hair done, it's a reminder that free speech much be for everyone, or else we have free speech for no one."

Blood Tribe and Aryan Freedom Network are white supremacist groups that share anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic views and parade in military-style clothing, often while heavily armed. Blood Tribe was founded by former US Marine Christopher Polhaus, who has been linked to the January 6 riots at the US Capitol in 2021.

The groups marched to a rallying point in an abandoned parking lot (Dave Decker/REX/Shutterstock)

The Aryan Freedom Network is closely linked to the Ku Klux Klan, and was founded by the daughter of a former leader of the notorious racist group - known as a Grand Dragon. The Goyim Defense League are an anti-Semitic group whose loose networks of members across the country help it to middle and collaborate with other neo-Nazi groups.

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It has strongholds in Arizona, California, Georgia and Texas, but many of its recent antics have taken place in Florida, the new home of California-raised Minadeo II. It specialises in carrying out highly offensive stunts, such as driving around in vans covered in anti-Semitic slurs while dressed as Jew in what they refer to as 'Name the Nose' tours.

The word Goyim has Yiddish and Hebrew roots and is known as a disparaging word for non-Jews. Last year, the US was flooded with at least 50 different white supremacist groups with record amounts of racist propaganda, including fliers, banners, graffiti and laser projections, according to the ADL.

Fiona Leishman