Disney President Robert Iger on Monday denounced the end of the company’s special status in Florida, an “anti-trade” measure he says was taken by Gov. Ron DeSantis to punish the American giant for exercising its right to free speech.
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Mr. DeSantis removed Disney’s special status in his state in February, ending the benefits the Disney World theme park had had since the 1960s.
A new episode in the ongoing culture wars in the United States, prompted by a company position that had denounced a bill restricting the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation in Florida elementary schools.
The governor, Donald Trump’s main Republican rival for the 2024 White House race, “seeks to punish a company for exercising a constitutional right,” Mr. Iger estimated during a shareholders’ meeting.
“A company has the right to free speech, just like individuals,” the Disney boss added.
Disney plans to invest more than $17 billion in Disney World over the next decade, create more than 10,000 jobs and attract even more tourists to Florida, Iger said.
“Any action to thwart these efforts simply out of revenge for a position held by the company appears not only anti-trade, but anti-Florida,” he said.
The guide drew a parallel with certain positions taken by American companies in favor of the civil rights struggle in the United States in the 1960s.
“I will continue to be guided by decency and respect,” warned Mr. Iger. “And we will trust our instincts: if we take action, we will do so because the issue is genuinely relevant to our business and the people who work for us. »
The chief recalled that Disney tries to instill in its films a belief that “good triumphs over evil.”
Ron DeSantis, a figure on the populist right in the United States, has not yet officially declared his presidential ambitions but is widely regarded as Donald Trump’s most serious contender for the Republican primary.
The governor willingly poses as a defender of “wokism”.
Apparently, the 40-year-old accuses a group of “elite” of imposing their progressive ideology on a society that rejects it, and has promised to establish a bulwark there in his state.