The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism issued a warning Friday as online chatter indicates antisemitic, white supremacist groups may be planning a march somewhere in Florida this weekend, according to News 6 partner WJXT.
The ADL said it isn’t aware of any direct threats of violence, but it expects extremist groups to hold several demonstrations in highly visible locations, such as a sporting or entertainment venue, highway overpass, government building or in front of an LGBTQ+ or Jewish institution.
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This comes after a racist attack at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville left three dead last weekend.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said there aren’t any indications right now that this could be happening in Jacksonville, but if it does, the city will be prepared.
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At Edward Waters University there was a demonstration of pride this week as security remains tight.
“We got a game Saturday, so we trying to get the morale back up where it was,” EWU student Shamar Dixon said.
At the football season opener this weekend, officers will be visible one week after a soon-to-be killer was chased from campus and later opened fire at a Dollar General on nearby Kings Road.
A spokesperson for EWU said the game will be well attended and a reflection of the resilience of their students and the Edward Waters community.
Now there are warnings of a “March of the Redshirts,” a Nazi-inspired demonstration of bigotry estimated to draw upwards of 100 to 150 people designed to draw attention and provoke confrontation.
Katie McCarthy, who is an investigative researcher at the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism, said it believes the march could be somewhere in Florida this weekend, although they don’t have solid info on a time or place.
“As you can imagine, if you’re driving along the highway or down the street, and you see a bunch of people wearing matching clothes, and they’re waving Nazi flags, that can be pretty upsetting and overwhelming to see,” McCarthy said.
Her advice is to ignore them.
But there’s no indication Jacksonville is the target this time.
Mayor Deegan said right now, the community is exhausted and frustrated and grappling with how to turn tragedy into change.
“We’ve heard it over and over again, they’re tired of this being the scenario of everybody gets upset for a few days. And then they forget about the fact that this ever happened. And we go on until the very next incident happens. Something has to change or nothing’s going to change,” Deegan said.
In a statement Sunday to News 6, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged its response around 10:40 a.m. Saturday to a presence of “about 15 people with flags and clothing displaying Nazi insignia in the area of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and East Buena Vista Drive.”
The sheriff’s office denounced the hate speech and stated the demonstrators were gone after about two hours, adding no arrests had been made.
We know these groups demonstrate in high profile areas in order to agitate and incite people with anti-Semitic symbols and slurs. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office deplores hate speech in any form, but people have the First Amendment right to demonstrate. What these groups do is revolting and condemned in the strongest way by Sheriff Mina and the Sheriff’s Office. They are looking for attention, and specifically media attention.
Orange County Sheriff's Office statement Sept. 3, 2023 (excerpt)
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