Florida pro-Hamas activists arrested after repeated warnings, university says
Nine University of Florida protesters have been arrested following a week-long anti-Israel campus protest on Monday.
'You don’t have a right to pitch a tent in the middle of campus and commandeer property,' Governor Ron DeSantis stated in response to campus tent encampments.
Nine University of Florida protesters have been arrested following a week-long anti-Israel campus protest on Monday.
As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, law enforcement, including state troopers, arrested individuals from the UF Divest Coalition for charges such as failure to obey a lawful command, resisting without violence to trespass after warning, and battery of a law enforcement officer for spitting on an officer.
UF Divest Coalition’s Instagram account describes the group as Florida students “calling for UF to protect students and end complicity in the ongoing occupation of Palestine and genocide in Gaza.”
Shortly following the arrests, the group took to Instagram saying that funds were needed to help post bail: “URGENT FUNDS NEEDED TO SUPPORT COMRADES ARRESTED DURING YESTERDAY’S PROTEST.”
In addition to providing a link for supporters to donate funds for the nine arrested activists, the group stated in a separate post that, “UFPD have decided it’s a crime to protest against genocide. It is a crime to sit on a chair in Plaza of the Americas. It is a crime to protect our comrades from abuse and wrongful arrest and detainment.”
“They want to silence us and we need your support more than ever,” the post continued. “Share, donate, and come out tomorrow to support Gaza and our students. Raise your voices. Take back the power.”
In another post to Instagram by the UF Divest Coalition, a sequence of videos recorded by individuals at the demonstration show activists being handcuffed and escorted out of the protest, while chants of “let them sit” were yelled at police officers.
On April 30, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to a reporter about pro-Hamas protesters on college campuses, stating: “You don’t have a right to pitch a tent in the middle of campus and commandeer property.”
The university also released a statement following the arrests: “This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children — they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.”
“For many days, we have patiently told protesters — many of whom are outside agitators — that they were able to exercise their right to free speech and free assembly,” the school continued. “And we also told them that clearly prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order from UPD (barring them from all university properties for three years) and an interim suspension from the university.”
[PROF GIORDANO: Spineless college administrators must act against extremism on campus]
“For days UPD patiently and consistently reiterated the rules,” UF added. “Today, individuals who refused to comply were arrested after UPD gave multiple warnings and multiple opportunities to comply.”
The University of Florida says in a new statement that many of the protesters on its campus were “outside agitators” and that arrests have been made because they engaged in “clearly prohibited activities”
”The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat… pic.twitter.com/GAlI0kaul5— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 30, 2024
Campus Reform has contacted The University of Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
