A man raised a swastika flag inside downtown Orlando’s Kia Center during a mixed martial arts event Saturday night, prompting condemnation from city officials, state lawmakers and a local Holocaust education organization. But not necessarily from the people in his section, as seen in the video below.
Video posted to social media shows a man in a black T-shirt holding up a large red flag bearing a black-on-white swastika during the Duel: Arena 1 combat sports card on August 29. Kia Center staff confronted the man and escorted him out of the crowd, though it is unclear how long it took staff to intervene or how the flag got past security.
Orlando Venues and the City of Orlando followed with a fuller written statement condemning hate speech, antisemitism and racism, while noting the city is bound by the First Amendment as an operator of a public venue and cannot deny access based on political ideology. The statement said the city will continue reviewing its event policies.
- Mayor Buddy Dyer also issued a statement saying symbols of hate were brought to the Kia Center over the weekend, but that hate will never be welcome in Orlando.
- State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando running for mayor, called the display disgusting on Instagram and thanked the security staffer who pulled the flag down.
- U.S. Sen. Rick Scott also condemned the incident on social media.
- The Holocaust Center of Florida also condemned the display and called on event organizers to be held accountable.
The fight card was headlined by Mike Perry and Dillon Davis and also featured a match between Ben “King” Azoulay and Paul “Gypsy Crusader” Miller, whom the Anti-Defamation League has identified as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi accelerationist. Miller served federal prison time on firearms charges before his release in 2023. Video reviewed by News 6 showed Miller appearing to give Nazi salutes to the crowd after the fight.
Boxer Patrick Clark, who competed elsewhere on the card, told Fox 35 he witnessed the flag and the salutes and described the crowd’s reaction as deeply disturbing.
Kia Center policy prohibits prop weapons, signs with indecent or political messaging, and clothing featuring offensive language, according to the venue’s website.
