Current:Home > MarketsFlorida orders state universities to disband pro-Palestinian student group, saying it backs Hamas -PrimeFinance
Florida orders state universities to disband pro-Palestinian student group, saying it backs Hamas
View
Date:2025-04-12 05:29:57
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration is linking a pro-Palestinian student organization to terrorism and is ordering state universities to ban the group from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas militants who attacked Israel earlier this month.
As Israel’s attacks on Gaza have intensified, some college students have expressed solidarity with Palestinians, resulting in swift censure from some Jewish academics and even some prospective employers. But Florida has gone further, taking the extraordinary step of saying Students for Justice in Palestine is supporting a “terrorist organization.”
State university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote to university presidents Tuesday at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ urging, directing them to disband chapters of SJP after the national group took the position that “Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement.”
“It is a felony under Florida law to ‘knowingly provide material support ... to a designated foreign terrorist organization,’” Rodrigues said in the letter.
The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997.
DeSantis has ramped up his pro-Israel stance since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel, which led to pro- and anti-Israel demonstrations around the world and prompted Israel to respond with airstrikes. The governor has sent planes to Israel to provide supplies and return Floridians there who want to come back.
He also is supporting a special legislative session to impose new sanctions on Iran, which supports Hamas, and to express support for Israel. So far, no government has presented evidence that Iran was directly involved in carrying out the attacks.
Students for Justice in Palestine has been on U.S. campuses for decades, with frequent protests calling for the liberation of Palestinians and boycotts against Israel. The loosely connected network says it has more than 200 chapters across the United States.
Palestine Legal, a group that provides legal support for pro-Palestinian groups, said the ban on SJP is part of a broader effort by DeSantis to suppress freedom of speech on campuses.
“Florida, particularly under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, has been actively undermining education, freedom of speech and social justice movements, including by banning anti-racist courses and trying to criminalize protests. It is not surprising that this egregious move to silence the student movement for Palestinian rights is being pursued under DeSantis,” it said Wednesday in a statement.
SJP has played a central role in a campus movement known as BDS, calling for the boycott, divestment and sanction of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. The national group didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free speech group, called Florida’s directive unconstitutional and dangerous and said the government does not have the legal authority to force colleges to ban SJP chapters.
“If it goes unchallenged, no one’s political beliefs will be safe from government suppression,” the group said in a statement.
The ban came after the only Jewish Republican in the state Legislature switched his support in the presidential election from DeSantis to former President Donald Trump, saying DeSantis doesn’t back up his pro-Israel words with action.
Rep. Randy Fine, who has advised DeSantis on Israel and Jewish policy, said he had called on the administration to take action against the student group but there was none until he released a strongly worded op-ed explaining his decision to switch his endorsement.
“It shouldn’t have taken me endorsing Trump to make it happen. I was begging them for two weeks and was just getting the Heisman at every turn,” Fine said, referring to the college football trophy depicting a player holding his arm out to fend off opponents.
The governor’s office said the ban was in the works for more than a week, however.
“The action, taken by the administration had nothing to do with Representative Fine. Any implication otherwise is nothing more than political grandstanding. Randy Fine is not the center of our universe,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said via email.
Students for Justice in Palestine and several other groups called for a national student walkout on college campuses Wednesday to demand an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza and to U.S. financial backing for Israel. Walkouts were planned campuses from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to the University of California, Los Angeles.
___
Binkley reported from Washington, D.C.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Gypsy Rose marks prison release by sharing 'first selfie of freedom' on social media
- Embezzlement of Oregon weekly newspaper’s funds forces it to lay off entire staff and halt print
- Live updates | Tens of thousands of Palestinians stream into Rafah as Israel expands its offensive
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- A 17-year-old foreign exchange student is missing in Utah; Chinese parents get ransom note
- 4 Social Security facts you should know in 2024
- The Biden administration once again bypasses Congress on an emergency weapons sale to Israel
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Pete Davidson and Madelyn Cline Prove They're Going Strong With New York Outing
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors
- Is California Overstating the Climate Benefit of Dairy Manure Methane Digesters?
- SUV plows into Albuquerque garage, killing homeowner
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- West Virginia starts distributing funds from the settlement of opioid lawsuits
- Maine’s deadliest shooting propels homicides to new high in the state
- What does Watch Night mean for Black Americans today? It dates back to the Emancipation Proclamation
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
White House says meeting with Mexican president was productive, amid record migrant crossings
Cher asks Los Angeles court to give her control over adult son's finances
Authorities beef up security for New Years Eve celebrations across US after FBI warnings
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
Stocks close out 2023 with a 24% gain, buoyed by a resilient economy
Actor Tom Wilkinson, known for 'The Full Monty' and 'Michael Clayton,' dies at 75
6.5 magnitude earthquake shakes part of Indonesia’s Papua region, no immediate reports of casualties