USF Marxists try to invade building as part of protest, get kicked out by staff
One of the groups responsible for the protest boasts that it is the ‘only Marxist student organization on campus.’
The protest came after USF recently changed its rules to limit chaotic demonstrations on campus.
The University of South Florida (USF) saw an anti-Israel protest break out at the beginning of the fall semester.
On the afternoon of Aug. 29, more than 12 anti-Israel student activists tried to invade the Marshall Student Center on campus but were stopped by several USF staffers. The protest was coordinated by the USF Divest Coalition and USF Students for Socialism.
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Following disruptive protests at USF’s campus by anti-Israel activists, including one demonstration that saw 10 activists arrested and a protester bringing a firearm to the school, USF changed its protest policy to require the administration’s go-ahead for any student tent encampments.
“USF values the right to free speech, expression and the open exchange of ideas, which we recognize are central to the mission of a university, even if we strongly disagree or find some of what is said to be offensive. However, we will not allow violent, disruptive or aggressive acts that do not comply with university policy or the law,” USF President Rhea Law said.
More recently, another radical group, the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, held a protest against the Jewish state on USF’s campus on Sept. 3, even though the group was previously banned by the school’s leadership.
USF Divest Coalition is a “coalition of students, faculty, staff, student orgs, and alumni that are in support of divestment from fossil fuels, human rights violations, private prisons, and sweatshops.”
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USF Students for Socialism is a socialist group that claims to advocate “for the working class.”
“We believe capitalism is an unsustainable, anti-democratic, inefficient, and illogical means of organizing society,” the group writes in its mission statement.
The group’s code of conduct also boasts that “SFS is also the only Marxist student organization on campus,” and adds that “representatives of SFS will be representatives of Marxism to much of the base we wish to attract.”
Campus Reform has reached out to the University of South Florida, USF Divest Coalition, and USF Students for Socialism for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
