Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

City in Florida apologises for saying many people won’t want to ‘celebrate’ 4th of July

The city noted that ‘division, hate and unrest’ have permeated American society

Graig Graziosi
Monday 04 July 2022 15:57 EDT
Comments
Bystanders run after hearing gunshots in shooting at July 4 parade in Illinois

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The city of Orlando incensed conservatives after it released a statement questioning whether or not it was appropriate to celebrate the Fourth of July at a time when so much "division, hate and unrest" permeates American society.

The statement was made in a 1 July email newsletter promoting the city's annual "Fireworks at the Fountain" event, according to NBC News.

“A lot of people probably don’t want to celebrate our nation right now, and we can’t blame them. When there is so much division, hate and unrest, why on earth would you want to have a party celebrating any of it?" the statement said.

The email infuriated some local residents and conservative politicians. A local police union also complained about the "disrespectful" and "inflammatory" message.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's press secretary, Christina Pushaw, took to Twitter to complain that the city did not parrot patriotic platitudes.

"Yikes. City of Orlando, is this your official position on our country and on the 4th of July?" she asked, alongside a screenshot of the city's statement.

The conservative backlash against the city exercising its freedom of speech prompted officials to issue an apology on social media.

“The City of Orlando sincerely regrets the negative impact our words have had on some in our community,” the statement said. “We understand these words offended some of our residents, which was not our intent. We value the freedoms we have in this country and are thankful to the men and women who have fought and continue to fight for those. We take pride in celebrating the 4th of July to express our gratitude to those men and women and honor the country we live in.”

The city's message was celebrated by some supporters, many citing the recent overturning of Roe v Wade as a reason for mourning during a time traditionally set aside to celebrate the nation's independence.

"You said what a lot of us are thinking and expressing to those around us," a Facebook user said on the city's apology post. "Not only should you not apologize, you should be applauded for raising what so many of us are feeling."

Despite conservative protests, polls suggest the city is correct in its assessment of the general mood in the US. A Fox News poll released last week found that only 39 per cent of Americans are "proud" of the US, down 12 points from June 2017.

The city’s criticism was tragically reflected on the Fourth of July when a mass shooter killed at least five people and injured another 19 in a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in