Antisemitism rears its ugly head once more as several Neo-Nazis calling themselves the "Goyim Defense League" gathered in South Orlando to harass passersby and shouted antisemitic slurs for several hours.
"Neo-Nazis harass Jews in #FLA and upload the evidence w/ no fear of punishment. Why won’t @GovRonDesantis take action, or at least vocally denounce it? @ADL," tweets Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a Jewish-American lawmaker.
Neo-Nazis harass Jews in #FLA and upload the evidence w/ no fear of punishment. Why won’t @GovRonDesantis take action, or at least vocally denounce it? @ADL https://t.co/ZKOrMZoRRc
— Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) February 23, 2023
Similar to the Kanye West debacle back in December 22, Rep. Wasserman-Schultz appears to be implying Gov. Ron DeSantis' lack of an immediate response to this latest instance of antisemitism in Florida as complicity.
"The silence of Ron DeSantis about the antisemites and white supremacists his party leader promotes can't be forgiven just because it conflicts with his naked personal ambitions. Silence is complicity," Wasserman-Schultz previously tweeted.
The silence of Ron DeSantis about the antisemites and white supremacists his party leader promotes can't be forgiven just because it conflicts with his naked personal ambitions. Silence is complicity. https://t.co/ThTi0OI8CB
— Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) December 2, 2022
The Governor, nor his office could be reached for comment, but while DeSantis hasn't openly denounced the recent rash of anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism, he denounced anti-semitism in late 2022, and has referred Nazi's as "jackasses" after a highway overpass demonstration.
"Governor DeSantis rejects attempts to scapegoat the Jewish community—it has no place in Florida," stated Deputy Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern.
DeSantis's actions in support of Israel and the Jewish Community, as a whole, appears to speak against the narrative that he supports anti-semitism, or that he is somehow complicit as Rep. Wasserman Schultz appears to elude to.
During a 2022 clean water press event with Reps. Brian Mast and Byron Donalds, and Sen. Marco Rubio, DeSantis excoriated Nazis who expressed their anti-semitic views on an Orlando-area overpass, calling them "jackasses" and calling out Democrats who he says "have elevated anti-semites to the halls of Congress."
DeSantis was referring to Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who support the anti-Israel BDS movement.
"So, we're not playing their game. You know some jackasses you know doing this on the street," said DeSantis. "I'm not going to have people try to smear me that belong to a political party that has elevated anti semites to the halls of Congress like Ilhan Omar, that have played footsie with the BDS movement. that even have people in their party that have covorted with Farrakhan."
The Governor then when on to point to his record as governor, citing his signing of Rep. Randy Fine's anti-semitism bill into law.
"We're going to take our record in Florida and what we've done —signed the strongest anti-Semitism bill in the country," added DeSantis. "We stared down companies who were induled and in BDS like Airbnb and we've won we've provided record funding for Jewish state schools and we've had the strongest relationship between Florida and Israel than we ever had in terms of education, business, all these tremendous things that have happened since our since our state visit in 2019."
What antisemite would ever wear an Yamaka and pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem?
Supporting Israel and the Jewish community is not something new to DeSantis. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, DeSantis spoke to Publisher Javier Manjarres numerous times about his support for Israel and condemnation of Hamas and other groups that opposed Israel's right to exist.
“President Mahmoud Abbas has consistently and steadfastly refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and Hamas openly seeks Israel’s destruction. The United States should not be pressuring the Israeli government into making concessions to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas," stated then-Congressman DeSantis to Manjarres.
@GovRonDeSantis denounces Nazi "Jackasses" in Central Florida, says he will not be smeared by @FlaDems https://t.co/fpWJnAaoyT#FlPol pic.twitter.com/H9K67fGoDV
— Javier Manjarres (@JavManjarres) February 1, 2022
Publisher Javier Manjarres contributed to this story.
