Man arrested for hanging swastikas, anti-Semitic banners on Florida bridge

In Florida, a man has been arrested for hanging extremist hate symbols, including swastikas, on a bridge. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced on Wednesday that they have arrested 48-year-old Jason Brown from Cape Canaveral. He is accused of hanging swastikas and other anti-Semitic banners on the Daryl Carter Parkway overpass in Orlando and has been charged with criminal mischief. Authorities mentioned that there are three arrest warrants outstanding for suspects living out of state. These suspects are said to have violated a newly enacted state law that prohibits individuals from displaying or projecting images onto buildings, structures, or property without permission. The suspects allegedly placed these banners on a fence back in June without obtaining written permission. These banners, which contained various racist messages, were hung directly over the I-4 highway. Jason Brown claims to be a member of the Order of the Black Sun, an anti-Semitic extremist hate group that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has described as a small neo-Nazi network mainly based in Florida. This group was formed earlier this year by individuals with long-standing affiliations with Florida’s overlapping white supremacist network. FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass expressed gratitude to Governor DeSantis for supporting law enforcement and for signing HB 269, which provides law enforcement with the necessary tools to arrest such hate-driven individuals. Glass stated, “This kind of activity will not be tolerated in Florida, the greatest state in the country.” Dave Kerner, the Executive Director of the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, emphasized that Florida is a law-and-order state. He highlighted that Brown’s arrest reflects Florida’s dedication to protecting its residents from extremists who seek attention. Kerner also thanked Governor DeSantis for his efforts to eliminate intimidation, vitriol, and hate directed towards people of faith, while empowering law enforcement to do the same. Earlier this month, a small group of neo-Nazis, along with supporters from extremist hate groups like the Blood Tribe and the Goyim Defense League, marched through the Orlando area. They shouted racial slurs and waved flags bearing swastikas and other white supremacy symbols. The ADL strongly condemned these rallies. Sarah Emmons, the Florida regional director of ADL, said, “We are deeply outraged by the two extremist demonstrations in the Orlando area. This type of hateful activity has no place in our community.” Emmons called on public officials at the federal, state, and local levels to unequivocally denounce such hateful activity. She emphasized that allowing hate and extremist beliefs to become normalized in society is unacceptable. These rallies occurred just a week after a 21-year-old gunman left hate-filled messages before killing three Black individuals at a dollar store in Jacksonville, Florida. Authorities stated that this incident was racially motivated. According to a report released by the ADL in March, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States reached a record high in 2022. The organization recorded 3,697 anti-Semitic incidents throughout the country, marking a 36% increase from the 2,717 incidents reported in 2021. This is the highest number of incidents recorded since the ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.