Rick Scott Slams Nazi Protestors Outside Disney: 'Heinous'

Florida Senator Rick Scott denounced the demonstration outside of Walt Disney World theme park on Saturday as a "heinous" display two days after protestors gathered outside the park entrance holding Nazi imagery.

Videos and images circulated on social media over the weekend showing a small group of protestors holding signs and flags that included symbols such as swastikas as well as banners showing support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. According to a report from the Tallahassee Democrat, which cited the Orange County Sheriff's Office, about 15 people total participated in the demonstration and stood outside of the Disney World entrance for roughly two hours.

The theme park has been in a heated battle with DeSantis for over a year after Disney World spoke out against the state's infamous, so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill back in March 2022. DeSantis responded by pushing legislation to dissolve Disney World's self-governing zone around its park, which was met with a lawsuit from the company. DeSantis has not made a public statement regarding the protest this past week. Newsweek previously reached out to DeSantis' office via email for comment.

On Monday, Scott, a Republican, spoke out against the demonstration on Twitter, writing, "This is not what Florida stands for."

"Anti-Semitism has no place in our state, and we will ALWAYS stand with the Jewish community in condemning heinous displays of hatred like this," Scott added.

The senator, who served as the governor of Florida between 2011 and 2019, has previously taken a stance against the rise of anti-semitism in the U.S., including publicly condemning a neo-Nazi demonstration that took place in Orlando in January 2022. DeSantis responded to the protest at a press briefing a day after Scott, calling it an attempt by Democrats to "smear me as if I had something to do with it."

Democratic Florida House Representative Anna Eskamani also spoke out against the demonstration after sharing a series of photos and videos of the protest on Twitter Saturday, calling the protest "absolutely disgusting." Activist Shannon Watts also shared a photo of the protest, writing alongside her tweet, "This is the 2023 Republican Party."

Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Disney co-founder Roy. O Disney, responded to Eskamani's post on Sunday, writing, "My grandfather is spinning in his grave."

Scott, who has previously kept a healthy distance from DeSantis, spoke about his successor's feud with Disney with NewsNation last month, stating that "cooler heads have to prevail" in order to move forward from the disagreement.

"I was disappointed that Disney weighed in on that bill," Scott told the outlet, referring to the Parental Rights in Education Act. "But look, cooler heads have to prevail. I think half the tourists that come to Florida come to Disney. I had a good working relationship with Disney when I was governor, I mean, they've worked hard to build a place that people want to come to."

"So, I think we've got to figure out a way forward here to bring everybody back to the table so we can continue to grow tourism, grow jobs, and give opportunities for people," he added.

Scott has also avoided endorsing a Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race, in which DeSantis is facing an uphill battle against former President Donald Trump. When asked about the GOP primary on an episode of "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" in April, Scott said, "I don't get involved in primaries."

"I'm up for re-election next November," he added. "So I'm going to focus on my job right now representing the 22 million people who live in the state, and then next November winning re-election."