(Photo from CFL Queers for Palestine’s Instagram)
ORLANDO | Traffic was blocked on I-4 in the Walt Disney World area May 11 due to a Palestinian protest near exit 67 that ended when three individuals who held up two signs barricading oncoming traffic were arrested.
The protestors — 26-year-old Isabella Giannosa, 24-year-old My Truong and 24-year-old Jenni Nguyen — were arrested and taken to the Orange County jail. They were charged with a misdemeanor refusal to obey a police officer.
All three wore face coverings while holding cloth signs, one sign read “Free Palestine” and had a Mickey Mouse emblem between the two words with the second banner reading “Lookup NAKBA 1948.”
The protesters shouted “Free Palestine” and other chants as drivers honked their horns. Some drivers even drove through the grass to get around the self-made barricade.
All three individuals are members of The Central Florida branch of Queers for Palestine. The members of Queers for Palestine posted to their Instagram stating that “Disney supports genocide.”
The group continued posting about Disney, stating the film studio is including a superhero character by the name of Sabra, an Israeli mutant from Marvel Comics, in an upcoming movie. It has been stated that Sabra will appear in “Captain America: New World Order.” The post continued stating that “in a 1981 comic, Sabra shows little remorse for the death of a Palestinian child.”
During the protest, one angry driver got out of his car to yell at the protestors. In a video recorded by one of the members, the angry driver said, “You are losing people to your cause because of this … think a little bit. You are causing people to actually hate you.”
Lamia Moukaddam, co-founder of the Orlando chapter for Queers for Palestine was there on I-4. She commented on Saturday’s protest, saying “It would be nice for people to call it for what it is — a protest and not a disruption. And we will not stop until Palestine is free.”
A QR code to the member’s bail funds was posted to their Instagram as of last Sunday. It was then posted five hours later that all three members were free by bail the same day along with a picture of the three women with other CFQFP members.
The Central Florida Queers for Palestine continues to instruct its members on how to Boycott Disney. It was quoted by the group, to “cancel your Disney + and Hulu memberships, boycott Disney products (including Marvel), and show up for Palestine.”
