TAMPA, Fla. — On Sunday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried condemned antisemitic demonstrators who gathered outside of the Tampa Convention Center and waved Nazi flags and posters.
The demonstration happened during the Turning Point USA Summit on Saturday. Fried, who is the first Jewish woman to serve on the Florida Cabinet, said she has pledged to stand up against antisemitism and hate.
"We need to stand united, this is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is a human issue," Fried said. She continued on to say, "These kinds of actions and these kinds of words are to be condemned."
The Florida Holocaust Museum said people near the convention center were "appalled" the demonstrations occurred in Tampa, the museum told 10 Tampa Bay in an email.
"Openly and proudly displaying genocidal symbols is a direct threat to the Jewish community," Florida Holocaust Museum Chairman Mikel Igel stated in the email. "Carrying the Nazi flag, or that of the SS, the unit responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Holocaust, is an indefensible act of pure hatred."
The demonstrations weren't the first example of antisemitism this year in the Tampa Bay region.
In early June, The Tampa Police Department investigated dozens of antisemitic flyers distributed to people's doorsteps in Hyde Park.
"This isn’t about politics or religion. It’s about humanity. The Florida Holocaust Museum calls upon everyone, Jew and non-Jew, regardless of political affiliation, to condemn this blatant antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. This should matter to everyone," Igel stated.
"When anti-semitic incidents occur that leverage chilling Nazi symbols, we are reminded of the importance of the Florida Holocaust Museum’s mission to preserve the memory of the Holocaust while educating future generations to prevent antisemitism and hatred of all kinds. We will not be deterred."