Dozens of Florida Highway Patrol officers flanked metal gates separating pro-Palestinian protesters from at the University of Florida where Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned their actions on Wednesday.
The crowd of about 40 protesters wore keffiyehs and waved signs and Palestinian flags throughout the conference, crying 鈥淔ree, free Palestine鈥� and 鈥淒isclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.鈥�
DeSantis praised university leadership and law enforcement throughout the state for not negotiating with 鈥渁gitators.鈥�
鈥淲e've seen a lot of failures of leadership. We've seen some of these schools get overrun,鈥� DeSantis said. 鈥淭hat is not happening here in the state of Florida. You are going to behave appropriately, or if not, you're going to be shown the door.鈥�
Chancellor of the state university system Ray Rodriguez also spoke, criticizing the 鈥渃haos鈥� on college campuses across the country and celebrating recent commencement ceremonies.
鈥淔lorida is a law and order state,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Florida, there will be no negotiations, there will be no appeasement, there will be no amnesty and there will be no divestment.鈥�
Desantis later said that the chant 鈥淔rom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free鈥� implies that pro-Palestinian protesters 鈥渨ant a second Holocaust.鈥�
In the crowd, adorned with a beaded bracelet of the Palestinian flag and a dark green keffiyeh, a scarf that symbolizes the pro-Palestinian movement, Laila Fakhoury said she 鈥渃ompletely rejects鈥� that idea.
Fakhoury is the press liaison for the protesters, and a community organizer and UF alumna. She said it鈥檚 been demoralizing to hear politicians鈥� statements about the movement.
鈥淎ll of their talking points are the same. It's been like that for years and years and years. This is not a new issue. This has been going on for the past 75 years,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's just, enough is enough.鈥�
She added that UF鈥檚 policies on protests , making it hard for them to follow the rules, but they have always intended to peacefully protest. She said she was disappointed by DeSantis鈥� statements, but not surprised.
鈥淚t's frustrating and it's upsetting that he still hasn't found his humanity and that he's supposed to be a leader of this state and one of the leaders in this country,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it's not shocking that he took the wrong side in history.鈥�
UF President Ben Sasse said during the press conference that rule breaking will not be tolerated.
鈥淵ou have a constitutional right to protest and we will protect that. But anyone who crosses the line with prohibited actions will face the consequences,鈥� he said.
DeSantis also pledged an additional $20 million of the state budget to support security at Jewish day schools, as well as $570 million for general K-12 student safety.
He ended the conference by saying 鈥渨e will not let the inmates run the asylum in the Sunshine State.鈥�
Fakhoury said this line shows what DeSantis really thinks about universities.
鈥淭hey teach us to come to university so that we can open our minds, so that we can speak up, so that we can make a difference, but then they try to silence us with everything that we do when we're actually standing for humanity,鈥� she said.
Last month, during protests on the university鈥檚 campus, six of them students. They were ordered by a judge not to return to campus or to have any contact with the university.
Copyright 2024 WUFT 89.1
