The head of Florida’s university system has directed schools to disband campus chapters of a pro-Palestinian student group he alleges are aligned in support of terrorists.
In a letter Tuesday to the state’s 12 university presidents, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said two Florida chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine “must be deactivated.” A spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis said the governor directed that the University of Florida and the University of South Florida remove the groups immediately.
Rodrigues’ letter said that a “toolkit” released by the group described the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel as “the resistance” and “unequivocally states: ‘Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement.’”
The letter contended that the national Students for Justice in Palestine organization has “affirmatively identified” that it was part of the attack, and said it’s a felony in Florida to “knowingly provide material support … to a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
Rodrigues closed by stating the university system is working with DeSantis “to ensure we are all using all tools at our disposal to crack down on campus demonstrations that delve beyond protected First Amendment speech into harmful support for terrorist groups.”
He added that state action could include “necessary adverse employment actions and suspensions for school officials.”
The chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida responded with a statement calling the move “disgraceful.”
“Governor DeSantis continues to disrespect American values such as freedom of speech to extend his political power,” the statement said in part. “To bend the law in this manner shows the utmost disrespect not only to any pro-Palestinian organization, but also to anyone who truly cares for political freedom and freedom of speech.”
It added that the state’s action could set a precedent to shut down any organization that doesn’t align with DeSantis’ ideals.
Student organizations are funded with student fees that are allocated by student governments.
Rodrigues’ letter says members of the campus chapters being disbanded by the state will be allowed to form new organizations that comply with state law.
The “toolkit” he referred to was designed by the national group to provide guidance for campus protesters.
While the state’s action focused on Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at UF and USF, the group appears to have a presence at more Florida schools, including Florida State University and Florida International University. However, only the UF and USF chapters have active charters registered with their schools, a university system spokesperson said.
Florida Atlantic University doesn’t have an active chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, spokesman Joshua Glanzer said.
Leaders of the national organization and the USF chapter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rodrigues’ message builds on a previous letter he sent on Oct. 9 with state education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. That letter cautioned protesters who might go too far in criticizing Israel and reminded universities “of their obligations to punish violators” of two state laws.
It cited House Bill 741, which DeSantis signed into law in 2019, setting requirements for public schools, colleges and universities to address discrimination against Jewish students and employees. It also pointed to House Bill 269, which DeSantis signed this year to establish stronger criminal penalties for committing certain antisemitic crimes.
In the wake of the Hamas attack and Israel’s response with the war in Gaza, Rodrigues and Diaz attempted to define actions that constituted antisemitism under Florida law.
“Israel not only has the right to defend itself against these heinous attacks, but it has a duty to respond with overwhelming force,” their letter said. “Florida unequivocally stands with Israel and the Jewish people during this difficult moment in history.”
It said antisemitic actions include ”calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews, often in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.” Another example: “Applying a double standard to Israel by requiring behavior of Israel that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation, or focusing peace or human rights investigations only in Israel.”
Joseph Nohava — an organizer with Tampa Bay Community Action Committee, which has organized several rallies — said the letters lack nuance. He noted that protesters who are Jewish have spoken against the Israeli government.
“The whole thing is absurd,” Nohava said. “It doesn’t sound like something that would hold up in court as something compliant with the First Amendment…. Israel doesn’t represent Judaism. You don’t conflate a whole religion with a state committing war crimes. That’s the most insane, antisemitic idea you can imagine.”
Nohava said he’s concerned over rhetoric painting Palestinians as antisemitic. He said he knows protesters who have received death threats and images of their houses mailed to them.
Enya Silva, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, said she found the definitions to be absurd.
“I think we have power in numbers,” she said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to come out and speak out for being on the right side of history.”
A statement Wednesday from the American Association of University Professors called on universities to protect the academic freedom of faculty across the country in “expressing politically controversial views.” The organization said it was “alarmed by a number of apparent academic freedom issues nationwide involving faculty speech on the Israeli-Hamas conflict.”
Another group, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said in a statement that DeSantis’ directive is “a dangerous — and unconstitutional — threat to free speech.”
It said Rodrigues’ letter did not detail any actions by the student chapters in Florida that warranted the order.
“If it goes unchallenged, no one’s political beliefs will be safe from government suppression,” the foundation’s statement said.
Times Staff Writer Ian Hodgson contributed to this report. Divya Kumar covers higher education and Hodgson is an education data reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, working in partnership with Open Campus.
Sun Sentinel staff writer Scott Travis contributed to this news article.
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