Police in Florida are investigating an alleged brawl that took place during a Nazi demonstration that sparked widespread outrage.
Demonstrators wearing Nazi insignia gathered near the University of Central Florida on Saturday and at a highway overpass Sunday, waving flags and signs while shouting antisemitic slurs at passersby. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said it is looking into a physical fight that occurred Saturday between some of the demonstrators and a passerby, which appears to have been captured on video shared to social media.
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“Deputies responded, and the investigation is ongoing,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “No arrests were made, and the group left the area. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office deplores hate speech in any form, but people have the First Amendment right to demonstrate.”
The passerby involved in the altercation was a Jewish UCF student, according to Florida News 6.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said any reports of crimes associated with the demonstrations would be “thoroughly investigated.”
I am aware of the anti-Semitic demonstration in Orange County. I along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office deplore any type of hate speech. This hatred has no place in our society. Any reports of criminal activity will be thoroughly investigated.
— Sheriff John Mina (@SheriffMina) January 31, 2022
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Florida leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott, and the mayor of Orlando, issued statements condemning the demonstrations.
Florida has one of the largest Jewish populations in the country, with over half a million Jewish residents.
