On Saturday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) stopped by a hotel in Brevard County, Florida, for the first stop on what he’s calling his “Freedom Tour,” which he says is meant to “celebrate being Floridians.” At present, Florida is led by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, and concurrently, individuals like Gaetz have leaned into equating Floridian identity with some kind of right-wing mindset — although millions of Biden voters also live in Florida. As could probably be expected, protesters turned out to Gaetz’s Saturday event. They gathered on the sidewalk outside the hotel, drawing attention to the ongoing federal criminal investigation into Gaetz for potential involvement in child sex trafficking.
David Weissman, a prominent activist and former Republican, was among those in attendance at the Saturday protest against Gaetz, and he shared footage and photos from the scene. In one photo that Weissman shared, signs are visible demanding Gaetz’s resignation and insisting, in reference to the hotel where the Gaetz event took place, that “Hilton hosts pedo.” Weissman also revealed that he brought a whistle to the event, hearkening back to the recent occasion when a demonstrator with a whistle helped disrupt a press conference that Gaetz and others attempted to hold in Washington, D.C.
Check out photos that Weissman shared of the protest below:
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) July 31, 2021
We are still here @mattgaetz. #MATTGaetzprotest pic.twitter.com/RF90uy7ae3
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) July 31, 2021
The hotel where Gaetz hosted his Saturday event is known as the “Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront,” and the area called “Melbourne Beach” — which, as its name suggests, is right on the ocean — has a population of a little more than 3,200 people — and that’s it, so a protest crowd of any size certainly seems especially notable. The protest against Gaetz on Saturday was organized by a group known as the Brevard Peace Keepers, with organizers saying that the demonstration was meant to “let Gaetz know he isn’t welcome in Brevard County while under investigation for sex with minors and child trafficking.” Fara Dawn, a co-organizer of the protest, also noted that Gaetz’s “narrative has changed over time” regarding the events of January 6, which she said “seems sort of suspicious” to her.
