CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WSVN) — A holiday event meant to fill families with excitement had the opposite effect after it was crashed by a man with a message for the children in the audience.

According to WBBH, Cape Coral’s Festival of Lights was crashed by a man holding a giant sign as he yelled at children and families, telling them Santa isn’t real and that parents were lying to their children.

Video of the incident was captured by one woman who said the man yelled for hours at the event.

“There’s no Santa Claus!” the man is heard yelling in the clip. “They’re all lies!”

One mother said some children left the event in tears.

According to WBBH, police were at the event, but they said they couldn’t do anything because the man was exercising free speech.

They added that the only way they could intervene is if the man used a voice enhancer, such as a megaphone, or if he created a riot.

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