The Miami Herald Editorial Board condemned Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for refusing to denounce Nazis protesting in his state when asked about it.
Orlando was flooded with Nazis protesting across the I-4 roadway over the weekend and when asked about it, DeSantis claimed that the Nazis protesting in Florida were just a “distraction from the failure we see from [Joe] Biden.”
DeSantis’ press secretary took it further, asking if the Nazi protesters could have been Democrats pretending to be Nazis as part of some kind of “stunt.”
To the Editorial Board, it’s “simple” to denounce Nazis and it shouldn’t be that difficult for DeSantis, unless he’s worried about offending the fascist group.
“Say they are abhorrent. Say they are despicable. Say they have no part in this society or this state,” said the board.
“Not leadership. Not uniting against something terrible that is cropping up, one more time, in our midst. Not condemning the actions of those who advocated publicly for the extermination of Jews,” the piece continued.
DeSantis had no expression of shock and horror that Nazis had taken over Orlando, nor did he speak about Florida’s strong relationship with the Jewish community and Israel. Instead, he blamed Democrats, the board explained.
“On Monday, when DeSantis had his chance to condemn these demontrators, when he could have simply said Nazis are bad people, when he could have made sure he didn’t give cover to those who hate, well, he didn’t. And all the manufactured anger at Democrats can’t cover up that telling silence,” they closed. “Oh — and he also called them “jackasses” and malcontents. You tell ‘em, governor.”
Read the full column at the Miami Herald.