While universities across the country descend into chaotic, pro-Hamas protests, Florida schools are taking a no-nonsense approach and warning students that they could be expelled for classroom disruptions.
In a statement published Thursday, a Florida State University spokesman announced that the school would “diligently enforce the university’s content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions” in response to student activists’ attempts to set up tents on campus. The statement iterated the university’s restrictions on “Violence of any kind, obstruction, disruption of classes and other university activities, destruction of property, intimidation, threats, and harassment.” The university said that violations would be addressed by law enforcement or campus officials where appropriate.
According to a report by Florida Phoenix, protesters at FSU attempted to set up camp early Thursday morning but were asked to dismantle the tents by law enforcement.
“After 8 a.m. the group settled in front of the Strozier Library and started chanting ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.’ A man approached the group, yelling at them to be quiet because students were trying to study. The demonstrators did not engage with the man. ~ Florida Phoenix
The protesters were reportedly later doused by the campus sprinkler system. In response, the students chanted, “Spray us. Spray us. We don’t care. FSU should be scared.”
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BREAKING: University of Florida students chose to breakdown their encampment after being handed this of Allowable Activities and Prohibitive Items and Activities.
Look at those Consequences for Non-Compliance 👀
University of Florida's chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of… pic.twitter.com/l4jYjrSVcr
— Stu (@thestustustudio) April 26, 2024
On Thursday, the University of Florida reportedly issued similar guidelines in the form of a pamphlet. In response, the university chapter of the Florida Young Democratic Socialists issued a statement condemning the regulations as “draconian.”
UF PD HANDED OUT FLYERS WITH DRACONIAN NEW REGULATIONS ON THEM, CLEARLY DESIGNED TO STOP OUR LIBERATION ZONE– THEY WILL NOT WIN!! ~ University of Florida YDSA via Instagram
An image of one pamphlet shared by the leftist group outlined ‘allowable’ activities such as speech, expressing viewpoints, sign holding, and ‘prohibitive’ activities. Prohibited activities include littering, camping, playing amplified sounds, making threats, and disrupting classes.
The pamphlet also warned that non-compliant students could face a 3-year trespass and suspension from the school.
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At places like Columbia and Yale, Hamas protesters rule the roost, and the universities are too weak and scared to do anything—even as these mobs harass Jewish students and faculty.
If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled. pic.twitter.com/pY1VkoiTwn
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 25, 2024
The recent developments echo statements made by Governor Ron DeSantis recently, who has vowed to maintain order amid a wave of violent student demonstrations.
“At places like Columbia and Yale, Hamas protesters rule the roost, and the universities are too weak and scared to do anything — even as these mobs harass Jewish students and faculty,” DeSantis said Thursday in a statement on X. “If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled.”
“When you are chasing Jewish students around, when you’re not letting a Jewish professor enter a building, when you are targeting people like that, that’s not free speech,” DeSantis continued. “That’s harassment. That violates appropriate conduct and yet at Columbia, Yale, all these places, those guys, those folks rule the roost.”
“You do that in Florida at our universities, we are showing you the door,”
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