Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has issued a stern warning to college students in the state, cautioning them that participating in unauthorized protests on campuses could result in expulsion.
Governor X expressed his concern about the situation at prestigious universities like Columbia and Yale, where he believes Hamas protesters have a strong influence. He criticized the universities for being too weak and afraid to take action against these groups, even when they harass Jewish students and faculty. In contrast, Governor X emphasized that such behavior would not be tolerated at Florida universities, stating that any student attempting to engage in similar activities would face expulsion.
Pro-Palestinian activists have established encampments at various universities nationwide, even in unauthorized areas.
According to DeSantis, targeting Jewish students and preventing a Jewish professor from entering a building is not considered free speech. Instead, he argues that such actions constitute harassment and violate appropriate conduct. DeSantis further criticizes the prevailing influence of these individuals at prestigious institutions like Columbia and Yale.
He further emphasized that if you engage in such activities at our universities in Florida, we will not tolerate it and you will be asked to leave.
Lawmakers and the White House both condemned the actions at the Manhattan campus as antisemitic at the start of the Columbia demonstration last week.
Ever since then, encampments have been sprouting up in many other schools, leading to the arrests of hundreds of students across the country.
It remains unclear how many students have actually faced specific punishments for their participation in these protests, despite the threat of suspension or expulsion by schools.
Some students have decided to challenge their schools’ administrations, doubting that they would actually take such drastic actions.
“We consider the possibility of expulsion to be highly unlikely. In the past, only students who physically touched (or ‘assaulted’) a police officer were expelled during similar protests at Vanderbilt. Expulsion would require a committee review at Princeton, and we are aware that at least two faculty members on the committee are affiliated with the Faculty for Justice in Palestine,” stated a document prepared by the organizers of the protest at Princeton University.
