The Desantis administration in the State of Florida is making efforts to curtail or even shut down pro-Palestinian student groups that have expressed support or solidarity with Hamas, Politico reported on Saturday.
The Florida state official responsible for university affairs has requested that the chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine be deactivated at two Florida universities although neither of the groups have yet been shut down.
Instead, the state has changed tack, requesting that the student organizations instead make formal declarations eschewing violence and rejecting any ties to the Hamas terror organization.
“Our campuses have avoided the violence and antisemitism that is occurring on campuses all across this nation. In Florida, we will not tolerate violent activity, antisemitic activity or a failure to observe the law, ” state university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues told a Board of Governors meeting on November 9.
Providing material support to terrorists
The State of Florida has claimed that activities of these chapters have violated the law making it illegal to “knowingly provide material support... to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” and thus that they have committed felony offenses.
“I already acted in Florida,” presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis told a rally in Miami. “We had a group, Students for Justice in Palestine; they said they are common cause with Hamas. They said, 'We’re not just in solidarity, this is what we are.' We deactivated them. We’re not going to use state tax dollars to fund jihad—no way.”
Despite DeSantis's comments, little action has been taken so far by the universities, who are worried that they may become liable to legal action over claims of censorship should such deactivations proceed.