Lawmakers, Jewish Groups Call on Florida Gov. to Denounce Neo-Nazis Waving 'DeSantis Country' Flags

Joe Raedle/Getty Ron DeSantis

Lawmakers and candidates in Florida are calling on the state's governor to denounce a group of Nazi demonstrators who marched outside a conservative event over the weekend displaying both swastikas and signs expressing support for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

On Saturday, the group gathered outside the Tampa Convention Center, which was playing host to the conservative Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. Photos taken of the group show them waving posters with anti-Semitic imagery, such as swastikas and Nazi flags, along with the Florida state flag and a poster showing DeSantis' face.

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One day after the photos were taken, Florida Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried held a press conference in the same place, urging DeSantis to denounce the group.

"I am asking you, Ron DeSantis, to denounce the Nazis that were here, here to celebrate you speech inside this convention Center," Fried, who is Jewish, said. "They were holding your pictures yesterday."

The Florida Governor's office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist — who served as Florida's Republican governor from 2007 to 2011 but later switched political parties — also criticized DeSantis for not yet condemning the display.

"The reprehensible anti-Semitic hate and neo-Nazi demonstrations from this weekend have no place in FL," Crist, who will face Fried in Florida's gubernatorial primary election on Aug. 23, wrote on Twitter, adding: "DeSantis is coddling anti-Semitism because he views them as part of his base."

The Florida Holocaust Museum also issued a statement, with Chairman Mike Igel calling on "everyone, Jew and non-Jew, regardless of political affiliation, to condemn this blatant antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. This should matter to everyone."

"This isn't about politics or religion. It's about humanity," Igel said in the statement.

Turning Point USA, the conservative group that held the Saturday event, has denounced the group, saying in a statement: "We have no idea who they are or why they're here. They have nothing to do with TPUSA, our event, or our students."

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Turning Point USA added that the group left after some students confronted them: "After some students initially confronted these individuals, they made a mature decision and vacated the space. Once that happened, they left."

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DeSantis, who has long been rumored to be preparing a 2024 presidential run, has shot down such speculation, despite making a name for himself on the national stage in recent years — often with culture-war conflicts similar to former President Donald Trump.

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The Republican governor, who narrowly won his 2018 election, has courted controversy (or support, depending on his audience) for attempting to block local leaders' authority to issue mask mandates in municipalities throughout Florida, and for fighting cruise ship companies that sought to require their passengers be vaccinated against the virus.

As a pro-business conservative, he's attracted a lot of attention among Republican voters — and, according to sources, from Trump himself, who views DeSantis as something of a competitor in the lead-up to 2024.