TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Holocaust Museum and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried called for the community to condemn the display of white supremacist symbols outside of the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa.
Photos show a group of people, who appear to be white men, standing outside of the Tampa Convention Center on Saturday, flying flags and holding signs with Nazi iconography and antisemetic caricatures.
The group flew the Nazi swastika and SS flags alongside the Florida state flag and a flag reading “DeSantis Country”. One person displayed a poster with a caricature of a Jewish man on it and text referring to an antisemetic conspiracy theory.
In a video posted to Twitter, the group appeared to hurl racial slurs at a Black protester. (Warning: The video contains strong language and may be disturbing to some)
“Openly and proudly displaying genocidal symbols is a direct threat to the Jewish community,” Florida Holocaust Museum chairman Mike Igel said. “Carrying the Nazi flag, or that of the SS, the unit responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Holocaust, is an indefensible act of pure hatred.”
“This isn’t about politics or religion. It’s about humanity,” Igel said. “The Florida Holocaust Museum calls upon everyone, Jew and non-Jew, regardless of political affiliation, to condemn this blatant antisemitism in the strongest possible terms.”
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running for governor, also condemned the display, saying in a statement, “[White supremacists] are not welcome here. You will not terrorize us. We will never stop condemning you, your white supremacy delusions, and your hate speech.”
News Channel 8 reached out to Turning Point USA and spokesman Andrew Klovet said that the group did not have anything to do with TPUSA or the event.
“We have no idea who they are or why they’re here,” Klovet said.
Klovet said that some students attending the conference confronted the individuals displaying Nazi symbols and then the group left.
Former President Donald Trump spoke at the conference on Saturday night.
