DeSantis Touts Florida Response to Pro-Palestianian Campus Protests
The governor praised native authorities for sustaining ‘legislation and order’ amid escalating campus protests throughout the nation.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the College of Florida on Could 8 to reward his state’s potential to take care of “legislation and order” on school campuses whereas a gaggle of greater than two dozen pro-Palestine protesters gathered behind a three-layered barrier of barricades, Florida Division of Legislation Enforcement officers, and extra barricades.
The insurgent band carried out their album of chants that included classics akin to “Free Free Palestine,” in addition to new releases that catered to the second, like “Ronny, Ronny, you may’t disguise! You’re supporting genocide” in an try to drown out Mr. DeSantis’s deal with on Could 8 that praised the work of the State College System and legislation enforcement for making certain no protest disrupted or known as a single commencement ceremony earlier this month.
“I need to thank the college right here, in addition to all of our state universities, for making certain that we’re going to take care of order within the state of Florida,” Mr. DeSantis mentioned.
“We’re right here on the campus quad on the College of Florida, the place there was an try to arrange an encampment final week. And I do know that we’ve seen this all through the remainder of the nation the place this has sort of turn into a typical prevalence. Nicely, we don’t try this right here within the state of Florida. And they also did have an encampment, and it lasted about a couple of minutes.”
The governor denounced the harmful actions by protesters at different colleges like Columbia and affirmed his stance that protestors don’t have the best to “take over components of a college,” nor have they got a proper to “go after different college students based mostly on their ethnicity,” and if any college students had been to take over a constructing or take somebody as a hostage, they’d be expelled.
He additionally known as out what he known as “disrespectful” actions being seen, such because the substitute of the U.S. flag with the Palestinian flag on the campus of UCLA and the desecration of the statue of George Washington at George Washington College.
The governor was additionally joined by a number of state lawmakers, College of Florida President Ben Sasse, and State College System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, who, by way of session with the governor, labored to make sure that “no graduation ceremony was canceled.”
Mr. Rodrigues spoke firmly by way of the waves of shouting about how different faculties and universities capitulated to their protesters, going thus far in some instances as to grant amnesty to all college students concerned within the protests.
He additionally highlighted the truth that the category of 2024 was additionally the highschool class of 2020 who misplaced out on that commencement as a consequence of COVID-19 and mentioned the protestors seemed to disclaim the identical college students one more alternative to stroll throughout the stage and obtain their diploma.
Mr. Rodrigues expressed his delight for the college management and numerous legislation enforcement companies for offering the required assets and dealing collectively to make sure each graduation ceremony deliberate went forward “with out disruption, with out discrimination, with out intimidation, and with out arrest.
Mr. Sasse additionally touted the professionalism of Florida’s legislation enforcement officers in coping with the protests, saying, “What you could have performed within the face of being spit on [and] shouted at with profanity has been superb.”
“Too typically in our time and place, we give essentially the most voice to the loudest and angriest individuals, and The College of Florida is just not crammed with offended individuals,” he mentioned.
Mr. Sasse additionally expressed delight in being the president of the varsity with essentially the most Jewish college students within the nation. A present Jewish pupil got here ahead to vouch for the varsity’s efforts over the latest weeks, affirming, “Regardless of the challenges posed by protests, they’ve remained dedicated to defending all college students no matter their backgrounds.”
Mr. DeSantis additionally introduced a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in additional funding for college security, together with $20 million to guard Jewish Day Faculties, $20 million to guard Florida’s traditionally black faculties and universities (HBCUs), and $569 million for Okay–12 college security funding.
He additionally reminded the press that his govt order permitting the streamlining of the switch requests of Jewish college students from out of state stays in impact.
As the varsity yr strikes into Summer time trip, Mr. Rodrigues mentioned that many protesters mentioned they’d be again within the fall “prepared to choose up proper the place they’re leaving off.” He promised that “There will likely be no negotiation. There will likely be no appeasement. There will likely be no amnesty, and there will likely be no divestment.”
“For those who had the braveness of your conviction, you wouldn’t want a masks,” Rep. Chuck Clemons, speaker professional tempore of the State Home of Representatives, informed The Epoch Instances after the occasion. “For those who imagine within the First Modification, you wouldn’t really feel the necessity to shout different individuals down.
“That is step one of fascism.”