LAKELAND, Fla. — We're hearing for the first time from the organizer of an event in Lakeland, after a group of protesters held up a Nazi flag outside a fundraising event that featured drag queens. This comes as new reports show a rise of extremist activity in Florida.
“I knew this was coming, sooner or later in the climate that we’re living in these days,” said Jason DeShazo, the founder of Rose Dynasty Foundation.
DeShazo who goes by the stage name Momma Ashley Rose was hosting a fundraising event with other drag queens, at the ART/ifact venue in Lakeland on Saturday, when a dozen people displaying Nazi symbols showed up to protest.
“People were walking from the parking lot into the building, and they’re being screamed at, called pedophiles. These people are screaming a hail Hitler. Absolutely disgusting things,” DeShazo said.
Protestors were also projecting inappropriate content onto the side of the building. ABC Action News is choosing not to show pictures of the protest in order to not give hate groups a platform.
While the Lakeland Police Department was patrolling the event, DeShazo said there were children and families locked inside, that were scared.
“I lost people at Pulse, and then we just had the Club Q incident in Colorado. We don’t know what people are going to do,” said DeShazo.
Lakeland Police said the Neo-Nazis were not Lakeland residents. The rabbi of Temple Emanuel Synagogue of Lakeland, David Goldstein, believes not enough policitical leaders have spoken out against extremist incidents.
“If you speak to anyone who is Jewish, Black, Muslim, Chinese, you’re going to hear that it never went away and it’s increasing,” said Goldstein.
In a recent report by ADL formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League, extremist-related incidents rose by 71% in Florida from 2020 to 2021.
“Dramatic rise not only nationally but especially in the state of Florida when it comes to extremist activity and anti- Semitic activity,” said Sarah Emmons, ADL Florida Regional Director.
ADL points to the normalization of hateful rhetoric as part of the cause.
“We see hateful rhetoric coming from our elected leadership, media personalities, through twitter and all of these things make individuals who have biased beliefs start to act upon these beliefs,” Emmons said.
Emmons said it's critical that all communities work collectively to denounce these hate groups.
