‘My grandfather is spinning in his grave’: Walt Disney heir condemns Ron DeSantis supporters waving Nazi flags outside Disney World

It was a sad day for Disney over the weekend as protestors gathered outside Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida to wave flags displaying the Nazi symbol and support for Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign. On social media, one of Walt Disney’s heirs shared the viral footage along with seven simple words that truly underline the gravity of this situation. 

“My grandfather is spinning in his grave,” wrote Abigail Disney in her Twitter post, which includes footage one passerby took showing protesters congregated with red, white, and black flags bearing the swastika symbol and DeSantis 2024 campaign flags outside the Disney World entrance.

Viewers should be warned that you are able to hear one protestor shout derogatory exclamations about Mexicans in the video, while another openly uses the N-word. 

The footage Abigail shared was posted by Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, of Orlando, who also shared a number of photos as well as the comment, “It’s absolutely disgusting to see what has become a common presence of Nazis in Florida, and even more disturbing when they are holding signs and flags that signal support for people like Governor DeSantis. Every person, regardless of political ideology, should condemn this. Florida is a state built on diversity and we will always stand against bigotry and hate.”

The open display of antisemitism comes during the ongoing battle between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The two are embroiled in legal woes with Disney suing DeSantis for government retaliation after the company openly condemned the Republican governor’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and was then met with swift pushback. 

Since then Disney’s CEO Bob Iger has gone on record admonishing DeSantis’ decisions, and even one Florida teacher almost lost her job for showing a Disney movie in her classroom. 

The ongoing battle between the two parties has resulted in a contentious discussion over who’s right and who’s wrong. That being said, there’s no question that waving Nazi flags outside Disney World’s entrance, a place where children gather every single day, flies in the face of the far right’s criticism of how they believe the liberal left is grooming the ideology of certain children. 

As for Abigail Disney — she is the great-niece to Walt Disney, and the granddaughter to Disney’s older brother, Roy O. Disney. She is a social activist, philanthropist, and Emmy Award-winning film producer. At the time of this writing, neither Disney nor DeSantis has commented about the protestors.

As someone who sets sail for Disney World with his family in a couple of days, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this news puts a damper on what is supposed to be a vacation to the most magical place on Earth.