WATCH: Protesters Disrupt Gov. DeSantis Press Conference With Shouts of ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘You’re Lying’

Protesters disrupted a Monday press conference by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in Orlando as the Florida governor was attempting to speak about the importance of blood donations made by survivors of Covid-19.

Footage of the scene showed protesters beginning to shout as DeSantis was making a comment about antibody testing at OneBlood’s headquarters in Orlando. The chants included “Shame on you,” “Black lives matter,” And “You’re lying to the public.” As protesters were escorted out of the building, DeSantis responded with a chuckle, “We will not be defunding the police, so don’t worry about that,” DeSantis said, diverging from the topic of the press conference. “We will be supporting our men and women in law enforcement.”

Protesters could still be heard shouting and pounding on windows outside the building as DeSantis continued addressing attendees.

With respect to the coronavirus, DeSantis said there was “increased demand from hospitals” in the state for convalescent plasma. “One of the best things you can do if you’re somebody who has recovered from Covid-19 is to donate blood,” he added. “Your plasma will be able to be used to help other patients and the success has been promising.”

Florida has struggled this month to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, though new infections have been driven predominantly by South Florida’s Miami-Dade County. As of Monday, the state reported it had experienced a total of 360,394 cases and 5,183 deaths. Nearly 90,000 of those were reported in Miami-Dade County, or just under a quarter of the statewide total.

Florida has recorded more new cases of the virus over the last 20 days than it did during the first four months of the outbreak. The total number stood at just more than 152,000 on June 30.

Critics have faulted DeSantis for refusing to impose statewide orders related to the virus similar to those in Miami-Dade County, where local officials have imposed a nightly curfew and are requiring residents to wear face coverings in both indoor and outdoor areas. They have also taken issue with his reticence to hire more contract tracers to track residents who have been infected.

It wasn’t clear how many of Monday’s protesters were wearing masks at Monday’s event, though OneBlood CEO Bud Scholl remarked on the risk associated with the gathering. “I hope none of them get sick,” Scholl said.

Watch above via the Florida governor’s office.