Parents attending a Christmas celebration event on Tuesday in Florida were disrupted after a man turned up and screamed "there's no Santa Claus" for hours.
The man, who remains unidentified, decided to crash the Festival of Lights in downtown Cape Coral this week with a giant sign and yell about how parents were lying to their children. Video taken at the festive scene was recorded on a cellphone and first reported by WBBH-TV.
His screams could be heard as children waited in line to see Santa Claus on the night, earning him the title of "real-life grinch" in local media. One mother told WBBH-TV some children were left in tears by the man's diatribe but luckily her child was "too distracted" to notice.
Cindy Menkes, a Cape Coral resident, said: "I feel sorry for that individual he must have a very sad life. I think it's a shame our children are faced with so many difficult things in this world that the magic of this time of year, it's taken away from them, and they are innocent."
"There's no sense of decency with those kinds of individuals," she continued to WBBH-TV. "I think unfortunately you are going to have people who just want to spoil it for everyone"
The Cape Coral Police Department were reportedly in attendance during the event but was powerless to stop the angry protester because it was a freedom of speech issue. The only way officials could have stopped him if he was using a megaphone or caused a riot, police said.
The Festival of Lights event ran from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. yesterday. According to its website, the celebration can attract more than 20,000 people to "bring in the holiday season."
Yesterday, Cape Coral Police posted a video from the event taken on an officer's body camera. "A first responder event to wish the children a safe and good night," the department wrote in a Facebook post. "There were emergency services from several agencies that participated to include a Lee County Sheriff's Office helicopter. Santa also made a special appearance."
On Monday, a substitute teacher in a New York school was criticized by parents and faculty after telling a classroom of first grade students that Santa Claus and other characters do not exist. As reported, Cedar Hill School principal Michael Raj sent a letter of apology earlier this week.
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