MIAMI – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday spoke in Miami to commemorate victims of communism day at Miami Freedom Tower, News 6 partner WPLG reports.
He was joined by Florida’s Department of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas.
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DeSantis pushed through a law establishing Nov. 7 as Victims of Communism Day in Florida back in 2022.
The state is home to millions who fled countries under Communist rule. The date marks the start of Russia’s 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and has been nationally recognized with a Presidential Proclamation since 2017.
DeSantis said he believes Florida is the only state to observe a holiday to honor those who suffered or died under communist regimes.
“It’s important to talk about, in a very clear-eyed way, the destruction, the lives, 100 million dead at the hands of Marxism-Leninism,” he said.
The press conference took place at Miami’s Freedom Tower, a site closely tied to refugees fleeing communist governments.
From 1962 to 1974, the Freedom Tower served as the Cuban Refugee Center, helping thousands of Cubans seeking asylum in the U.S., according to Miami-Dade College’s website.
Watch the news conference below: