Swastikas and antisemitic messages thrown onto front yards in central Florida

Day after neo-Nazi groups hold rallies in and around Orlando, residents discover white supremacist messages and swastikas in Ziploc bags thrown onto their front lawns.

By World Israel News Staff

Swastikas, antisemitic messages, and other white supremacist materials were found thrown onto homeowners’ yards in a central Florida county over the weekend, a day after a wave of neo-Nazi demonstrations were held.

Residents of Orange County, Florida reported finding Ziploc bags filled with hateful material, including swastikas and antisemitic propaganda, on their lawns Sunday morning.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple complaints from locals who say white supremacist literature and hate symbols were left on their property.

In a statement released Sunday, the sheriff’s office condemned those responsible for the distribution of the materials, but hinted such actions are protected under the First Amendment.

“We know these groups demonstrate and distribute hateful flyers in high profile areas in order to agitate and incite people with antisemitic 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.”

A man from Sand Lake Hills, who spoke with Wesh 2 on condition of anonymity, said he found two plastic bags on his property, one of which had a swastika in it.

“We’re not trying to give them positive press here, but I think there needs to be something in the (legislation) that they don’t feel it’s OK that they can go and terrorize people, especially after mass shootings,” the man said, adding that residents are looking for any security camera footage that may have recorded the suspects as they distributed the hateful material.

“So we’re soliciting anyone with video cameras in the neighborhood now. The doorbell rings, etcetera, etcetera, so we can build the case against these people.”

“Let’s not wait until something happens. We have enough resources and information and cameras and printing and DNA and fingerprints, etcetera, etcetera, where these people shouldn’t be able to do this in year after year, after year without someone taking responsibility.”

On Saturday, a number of neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, including the Goyim Defense League (GDL) held rallies in and around Orlando, including one demonstration at the entrance to Disney World.

In April, while visiting Jerusalem, Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 269 into law, criminalizing the distribution “onto private residential property any material that evidences religious or ethnic animus for purpose of intimidating or threatening [the] owner or resident.”

The law was drafted in response to the tactics of groups like the GDL in Florida, including the distribution of antisemitic and racist flyers on private property.