Disney chief accuses Florida of ignoring freedom of speech

The president of Disney, Robert Iger, a well-known man in the fin of special status of the enterprise in Florida, a measure of « anti-commerce » prized by the governor Ron DeSantis to lead the giant American d’avoir exercé his droit in freedom of expression.

• Also read: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Disney is indoctrinating children about LGBT+ issues

Mr. DeSantis in February removed Disney’s special status from his state, ending the benefits Disney World theme parks had enjoyed since the 1960s.

A new episode in the cultural battles taking place in the United States, sparked by a position taken by the company, which denounced a bill restricting the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation in Florida elementary schools.

Mr. Iger estimated during a general meeting of shareholders that the governor, Donald Trump’s main Republican challenger in the race for the White House in 2024, “is seeking to sanction a company for exercising a constitutional right.”

“The company has the right to freedom of expression, just like individuals,” the Disney chief added.

Iger said Disney plans to invest more than $17 billion in Disney World over the next decade, create more than 10,000 jobs, and attract more tourists to Florida.

He insisted that “any action to thwart these efforts merely in retaliation for a position taken by the company appears to be not only anti-trade, but also anti-Florida.”

He compared the leader to certain positions taken by corporate America in favor of the civil rights struggle in the United States in the 1960s.

“I will continue to be guided by a sense of decency and respect,” warned Mr. Egger. “And we will trust our instincts: When we take action, we will do so because the issue is truly relevant to our business and to the people who work for us.”

The president noted that Disney is trying to convey in its films the conviction that “good triumphs over evil.”

Ron DeSantis, a figure on the populist right in the United States, has not officially declared his presidential ambitions, but he is widely seen as the most dangerous challenger to Donald Trump in the Republican primaries.

The ruler willingly pretends to be a defender of “wokism”.

Clearly accusing a group of “elites” of imposing their progressive ideology on a society that rejects it, the forty-year-old vowed to build a fort there in his state.