Another Nazi demonstrator arrested for hanging swastika flag over I-4 in Orlando

For the second time in less than a week, a man has been arrested for hanging neo-Nazi signs and swastika flags over I-4 in Orlando.

Anthony Altick, 36, was arrested Sunday in Alachua County in connection with a June 10 incident in which demonstrators were seen hanging racist, anti-Semitic signage over the Orlando road.

Altick was arrested by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and charged with criminal mischief.

Another demonstrator, Jason Brown, was arrested in Brevard County Wednesday in connection with the same incident. The men are accused of hanging the flags and banners along the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge, overlooking I-4.

The actions violate a newly enacted state law, HB 269, signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The law includes provisions that prohibit individuals from projecting or displaying images onto a building, structure or other property without the owner’s permission.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, two out-of-state suspects are wanted on outstanding arrest warrants for involvement in the incident.

Brown claims to be part of the Order of the Black Sun, a neo-Nazi extremist group primarily based in Florida and formed just this year. The group uses propaganda and public demonstrations to push its white supremacist ideologies. The same group recently made local headlines as some of its members were stationed outside Walt Disney World over Labor Day weekend, flying swastika flags and a “Ron DeSantis 2024” flag.

It has not been confirmed by officials whether Altick is a part of the group.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents surged to historic levels in 2022, with a total of 3,697 known incidents reported across the U.S. That number represents an increase of 36 percent compared to 2021, a previously record-setting year.

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This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2023.