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Credit: Inside the MagicGovernor Ron DeSantis has applauded and cheerfully joked about the swift police action that recently took place at the gates of The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, the site of many of his legal battles.
DeSantis and Disney: The Many Battles
As a politician, Ron DeSantis has long defined himself by his opposition to his foes. Broadly speaking, that has meant he promotes himself as fighting against vague “woke” forces, the “liberal agenda,” and things like worker protections and child labor laws.
Related: With No Fanfare, DeSantis Signs Two Bills That Allow Disney To Hire Kids for Dangerous Jobs
But for much of the last year, Governor DeSantis was locked in a multi-layered war with The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s most beloved media corporations and the largest single-site employer in the state of Florida (thanks to Walt Disney World). The feud was kicked off when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek publicly opposed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, formally known as the Parental Rights in Education Act, which led to swift retaliation from the governor.
Over the months, he dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special tax district where most of Walt Disney World is located, and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), complete with a board of DeSantis appointee supervisors. This led to a series of lawsuits between Disney, the CFTOD, and the governor, and numerous accusations of financial mishandling, cronyism, corruption, and constitutional rights violation.
Related: Governor Ron DeSantis Signs $40 Million Tax Break for Disney
In a surprise move, the CFTOD and Disney abruptly announced a settlement in March that would allow all parties to essentially walk away with their dignity intact. Despite that, Governor DeSantis appears unable to not continue to make comments about Disney business, and this latest police action is no exception.
“That Gauntlet’s Been Laid Down”
An activist political group calling itself “Queers for Palestine” recently made headlines for protesting the continuing attacks by Israel on the Gaza Strip at an exit from Disney World, mirroring the nationwide outcry regarding the conflict.
The current ongoing conflict was kicked off by the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which led to a near-constant volley of U.S.-funded retaliation from Israel. As of this last week, the World Health Organization published that over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, with an estimated 60% of those being women and children (per Reuters).
Israel has faced widespread condemnation for its continuing attacks on Gaza, while protests of the American government’s support of the nation are being widely covered in the media. This protest at Disney World was particularly notable for the juxtaposition of one of America’s most beloved theme parks alongside a protest for awareness of a massive violent conflict.
BREAKING: Central Florida Queers for Palestine is blocking the exit to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. pic.twitter.com/DW5Kuq6bS1
— Stu (@thestustustudio) May 11, 2024
Political protest is broadly protected by the United States Constitution from government interference, but law enforcement can still intervene if activists perform actions like blocking traffic, such as Queers for Palestine did at Disney World. At least three of the protestors were arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) in a move that the Governor is now publicly applauding (per Floridian Press).
Governor DeSantis said of the Disney World Palestine protests, “Last weekend, we had ‘Queers for Palestine’ think they could take over the intersection going into Disney World. Florida Highway Patrol got them off in, I think, 11 minutes, so I think that’s the world record.”
Related: Governor DeSantis Announces Disney Rival Parks Will Offer Free Admission
The far-right politician went on to echo the cries of many people who were inconvenienced by free speech political protest regarding a massive conflict, saying, ” So, if you think you can do that and get away with it – Look, there’s so much – Look what they’re doing at Columbia, all this stuff, that is crazy. But waiting people wait in traffic is no bueno. I don’t care what your cause is, you do not cause people to wait in traffic, especially in areas that already have traffic. So I think 11 minutes that FHP Orlando got them out may be the new record.”
A common complaint toward pro-Palestine (or virtually any other political protest) is that it can actually undermine its own cause by inconveniencing people in their daily commutes or life, while protestors themselves assert that is basically the point: create awareness by any means necessary.
Governor DeSantis closed up by essentially encouraging police to brutally crack down on political protests as quickly as possible, even telling them to make it a competition. He said, “But I’m sure now that that gauntlet’s been laid down, I don’t think they’re going to try it again in Miami, but if they do, I’ll bet you Miami PD tries to beat that. So let’s see, we’ll have a little healthy competition to see who can be out first.”
Do you think DeSantis should be telling law enforcement to suppress protests like the one at Disney World? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.