Video Showing Girl Arrested at Abortion Protest Lacks Context, Another Misleading Attack Against DeSantis
July 5, 2022 Updated 5:40 P.M. ET
LAKELAND (FLV) – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried posted a video of a 13-year-old being arrested over the weekend, claiming it was because the teen was “protesting for their own freedom” in Lakeland.
Fried, a Democrat candidate for governor, blamed DeSantis.
“I’m posting this with her mother’s permission because I need everyone to see what Ron DeSantis’ Florida really looks like,” Fried said. “13 year olds being arrested for protesting for their own freedom.”
The video shows police escorting a young girl into a police car and removing her megaphone. Fried’s post did not include context behind the arrest.
Lakeland Police Department spokesperson Robin Tillett said she cannot provide the affidavit because the incident involves a juvenile. However, Facebook posts from what appears to be the teen’s mother said she was arrested for a noise ordinance violation and faces a 2nd degree misdemeanor charge. A shared post from the mother said the teenager was the only person with a megaphone who was arrested.
“Since the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, we’ve had hundreds of people peacefully assemble across our City with few isolated incidents. Officers are in attendance to assure a safe and secure environment for those exercising their rights while doing so in accordance with Florida state statutes and city ordinances,” Tillett said.
This is the latest attempt from Democrats posting videos out of context and putting blame on the governor.
“This is the playbook of the left. You know, facts don’t matter,” Republican Rep. Spencer Roach said.
Florida’s Voice reached out to Nikki Fried for a comment.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump posted a similar out of context video showing Democrat activist Ben Frazier being arrested for trespassing before a Governor DeSantis news conference.
However, Crump failed to post video of officers and staff members warning Crump multiple times to leave the private press conference or else he would be charged with trespassing.
“We should all have a RIGHT to speak out about issues affecting our community without the threat of intimidation!” Crump said on Twitter.
Democrats used the moment to claim the governor “runs and hides” and that “peacefully questioning” leads to arrests.
DeSantis’ Press Secretary Christina Pushaw said the press conference was meant for members of the press and not activists.
“Every citizen has the right to protest in public places — but not to trespass in a secured facility in order to disrupt a press briefing and prevent essential information from being conveyed to the public,” Pushaw said.
Other liberal activists have recorded videos being kicked out of DeSantis press conferences while claiming it is because the governor does not want to take “tough questions.”
However, these videos do not provide context to the “disrupting” pattern of behavior the activists have portrayed at these events leading to their removal.
Thomas Kennedy, an elected member of the Democratic National Committee and an opinion columnist, has instigated disturbances during multiple Gov. Ron DeSantis press conferences while proclaiming to be a “journalist.” Kennedy has staged protests where attendees threw fake U.S. dollars on the Governor during a press conference. The activist also interrupted a press conference about COVID-19 to yell “you are an embarrassment” at DeSantis.
Because of the behavior, Pushaw said they are not allowed to attend press conferences, which is not included in the tweets Democrats amplify on social media.
“People are so over the fake outrage from the left,” Roach said. “The fact that they’re trying to score what I call oppression points with these grievances that they have, I think most people are going to see through that very clearly.”
