A fighter critics say is an open neo-Nazi took part in a kickboxing match at the Kia Center over the weekend, defeating a Jewish opponent before appearing to give a Nazi salute to the crowd. During the match, members of the crowd repeated the salute and held up a red-and-black swastika banner.<\/p>\n
Video of the incident has been widely shared across social media and caused outrage, prompting concern over how the City of Orlando, which owns the venue, approves events at the center.<\/p>\n
Paul Nicholas Miller, also known as Gypsy Crusader, fought against Ben Azoulay, who is Jewish and Israeli-American, on Saturday in a match at the Kia Center promoted by Duel Arena. After Miller defeated Azoulay, footage of the fight appears to show Miller twice giving a Nazi salute after the final bell rung.<\/p>\n
Other posts on social media<\/a> show a man in the crowd stand up and unfurl a banner emblazoned with a swastika, causing other men nearby in the crowd to give the Nazi salute. When the man later attempted to unfurl the banner again, a woman who appears to work at the venue snatched it out of his hands.<\/p>\n The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida, located in Maitland, were among those asking for accountability in the aftermath of the weekend match. The group called Miller an open neo-Nazi and said he had a history of posing with Nazi symbols and memorabilia.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Neo-Nazis and open white supremacists are granted a public platform in competitive sports, these are the predictable consequences,\u201d a spokesperson said. \u201cWe call on those who organized the event to take accountability for facilitating this shameful display.\u201d<\/p>\n The Holocaust Center also noted Miller appears to have a tattoo resembling the lightning bolt \u201cSS\u201d symbol for the Nazi Schutzstaffel paramilitary that is clearly visible during the fight.<\/p>\n Miller had previously spent time in federal prison on firearms offenses. He had been calling for a race-based civil war, and had bought hundreds of rounds of ammunition and tried to build his own rifle as preparation for that war, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.<\/p>\n The Anti-Defamation League\u2019s Center on Extremism at one point tracked Miller and flagged him to law enforcement prior to his arrest. The group said he engaged in real-life extremist-related activities, had become popular in extremist circles and would even sell white supremacist patches to his online followers.<\/p>\n Orlando Venues, the city department that oversees the Kia Center, said in a statement online that it condemns what happened but that the First Amendment means it cannot deny access to venues based on political ideology, regardless of how much it disagrees with it.<\/p>\n The city \u201cwill continue reviewing our event policies to uphold that commitment while respecting the Constitution,\u201d Orlando Venues stated.<\/p>\n But state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, who is running to be the city\u2019s next mayor, said on social media the First Amendment is not an excuse for what happened and called for a reevaluation of the city\u2019s rules.<\/p>\n \u201cThere needs to be a reevaluation of rules at the Kia Center [and all public venues] if such performances are allowed to be booked and platformed,\u201d Eskamani posted on Instagram. \u201cThe First Amendment is broad, but this invites + incites violence and all angles should be explored to prevent this from ever happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and U.S. Sen.Rick Scott both condemned the incident on X.<\/p>\n \u201cSymbols of hate, including the Nazi flag, were brought to Kia Center this weekend. But hate will never be welcome here,\u201d Dyer wrote. \u201cOur community will continue to stand against antisemitism and all forms of hate to ensure that Orlando is a place where every person is valued and respected.\u201d<\/p>\n The website Boxing Insider<\/a> also criticized the Florida Athletic Commission for approving the Miller fight despite his background and statements. \u201cApproving a fight card is not a rubber stamp; it is a judgment that an event is fit to carry the state\u2019s sanction,\u201d the site stated.<\/p>\n Reports of antisemitism have been on the rise in recent years since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel\u2019s subsequent war in Gaza.<\/p>\n But even earlier in Central Florida, neo-Nazi demonstrators have held demonstrations to much publicity, including<\/a> on an I-4 overpass in 2022 and<\/a> outside Walt Disney World in 2023.<\/p>\n