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

A neo-Nazi demonstrator has been arrested for hanging swastika flags and anti-Semitic banners over Interstate 4 in Orlando.

Jason Brown, 48, was arrested in Brevard County, Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Wednesday. Brown is accused of hanging racist, anti-Semitic banners along the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge in Orlando.

The action violated a newly enacted state law 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.

As of Wednesday, there are currently three other outstanding arrest warrants for Brown's fellow demonstrators involved in the act.

Brown was taken into custody by FDLE officers in Cape Canaveral Tuesday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. 

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.

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.

"Florida is a law-and-order state. Today's arrest demonstrates Florida's commitment to protecting residents from attention-seeking extremists," Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles executive director Dave Kerner said in a release.

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