GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed universities across the country for putting up with pro-Palestine protests on their campuses and said they will not be tolerated in Florida.
There have been more than 2,400 arrests on 46 campuses across the nation since April 17 in response to Israel's war against Hamas with encampments and building takeovers at some schools including Columbia and UCLA.
DeSantis said that won’t be tolerated in Florida at a press conference Wednesday morning at the University of Florida.
“We are not going to let them be overrun by the nonsense,” he said.
He said there was an encampment on UF’s campus that lasted only a couple of minutes and thanked all of the universities statewide for “ensuring that we’re going to maintain order.”
DeSantis said public universities such as UF, Florida State University and the University of South Florida are funded through taxpayer dollars. If school leaders are not keeping order, they will be replaced, he said.
Graduation commencement ceremonies have gone undisturbed at state universities, unlike other places such as Columbia University, which had its main commencement canceled.
DeSantis said it’s concerning that some of the protestors on campuses don’t know what they are rallying behind.
"Are they just graduating a bunch of imbeciles?” he said.
The governor talked about the steps he and the legislature have taken to increase safety measures to make sure Jewish Floridians feel safe.
He signed an executive order in January stating students that are not being welcomed at their universities in other states can come to Florida universities if they’re qualified. He announced he is appropriating $20 million to Jewish day schools for the upcoming year to increase safety measures, about $570 million for K-12 student safety funding and $20 million to increase security at Florida’s HBCU’s.
Just last week, nine pro-Palestine protestors were arrested at UF after the administration previously threatened to banish anyone who was arrested from campus for three years and suspend students. At USF, more than 10 people were arrested after law enforcement deployed tear gas on a pro-Palestinian protest.
President Joe Biden also condemned antisemitism at a ceremony Tuesday to remember victims of the Holocaust amid the protests that have been prominent across the nation.
“There’s no place on any campus in America or any place in America for antisemitism or threats of violence,” he said “We’re not a lawless country — we are a civil society.”
DeSantis also announced he will be giving $75 million for the construction of the new UF campus in Jacksonville, $80 million for a new semiconductor institute and another $200 million for other programs at the state’s flagship university.