Boaters waving swastika flags cause stir at Trump parade: Who are they?

Swastika flags flew from one of hundreds of boats partaking in a Donald Trump-themed boat parade in Jupiter, Florida, on Sunday, and social media videos show people inside saying racial slurs, "white power" and "heil Trump."

An organizer of the parade called the boaters flying the swastika flags "scum" in a video posted to Facebook, which showed the boaters getting water blasted on them by another parade vessel. Several others online shared similar sentiments that they weren't welcome at the event.

Jewish rights organizations have associated people in the boat with the hate groups Order of the Black Sun and Goyim Defense League, based on the footage.

Both organizations are part of a web of hate groups that are active in Florida, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They often film themselves at demonstrations and share it across social media as a means of disseminating their antisemitic and neo-Nazi propaganda. But they also fit in with a broader trend of aligning with the political right.

"One tactic that we've sort of seen broadly among white nationalists and neo-Nazi groups is latching onto topics and issues that are relevant to the mainstream right basically as a way of, kind of capturing attention," SPLC Intelligence Project senior researcher Hannah Gais told USA TODAY, naming anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigration rhetoric as examples. "They all kind of descend into one area, because that's basically where the momentum is."

More: Searching for voters, Donald Trump goes dark(er) with pre-election rhetoric

What is the Order of the Black Sun?

The Anti-Defamation League of Florida identified some people on the boat as associated with the Order of the Black Sun based on their apparel.

"OBS is a small neo-Nazi network primarily based in Florida that distributes propaganda and holds in-person demonstrations to spread their white supremacist ideology," an ADL spokesperson said. "OBS was formed in early 2023 by long-time affiliates of Florida's overlapping white supremacist network."

Gais said hate groups often have overlapping memberships to make themselves seem bigger.

What is the Goyim Defense League?

Watchdog organization StopAntisemitism identified other members in the boat as part of the Goyim Defense League, an organization with thousands of online followers and proponents across the country.

According to the ADL, it is led by Jon Minadeo II, who StopAntisemitism reported was on the boat Sunday. Minadeo was convicted of a misdemeanor earlier this year for dumping litter that contained antisemitic literature, the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, previously reported.

Funded through online merchandise like a MAGA-style hat that instead says "Make America White Again," GDL typically engages in antisemitic and white supremacist stunts, according to the ADL. The group often drops banners with their messaging from overpasses on major thoroughfares.

The Trump campaign, in a statement to USA TODAY, denied that the GDL is made up of Trump supporters and pointed to flyers distributed in 2022 calling the Trump campaign Jewish. GDL made similar flyers of the Biden administration, samples from ADL show.

Hate groups emboldened by the grievances of the right

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said there were no incidents or arrests at the boat parade. When pressed about the flags, spokesperson Therese Barbera said "If this is true, it is unfortunate but it is freedom of speech."

In a statement provided to the Palm Beach Post, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt called the demonstrators "idiots" and said Trump supporters "responded accordingly."

"President Trump is steadfast in the fight against bigotry, he has been a leader against antisemitism at home and abroad, and abhors the hatred implied in these images," Leavitt said.

Liora Rez, founder and executive director of StopAntisemitism, said the group is using a heated election to get its message out.

"To anyone who has been watching, this is clearly self-proclaimed antisemites using the polarization of the 2024 election as a ploy to get their message out," Rez said in a statement to USA TODAY. "It rightfully should be disavowed by both parties and not used as a political talking point for either Democrats or Republicans, as it simply rewards those behind this hate-fueled stunt.”

Gais, however, said this trend precedes the 2024 election, pointing to the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021 as an outlet for other hate groups like the Proud Boys.

"We've seen radical right groups... descending around the Republican Party and kind of seeing the mainstream right as this vessel for getting out their own grievances and channeling their own momentum," she said.

This story was updated to add new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Swastika flags, Florida hate groups cause stir at Trump boat parade