University of Florida Federation of College Republicans group disbanded after students give Nazi salute
The University of Florida’s College Republicans chapter was disbanded after a finding that some of its members had violated a statewide organization’s rules, including making an antisemitic gesture.
The university
said over the weekend that the Florida Federation of College Republicans had disbanded the chapter and asked school officials to deactivate it as a registered student organization while it seeks new leadership for the group.
“The University of Florida has emphatically supported its Jewish community and remains committed to preventing and addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment,” the school said in a statement. “The university also supports the rights of organizations, such as the FFCR, to take decisive action in addressing conduct that is antithetical to its principles.”
University of Florida College Republicans did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. But the group
posted on social media that the action came 48 hours after members hosted a well-attended candidate event on campus for James Fishback, who is running as a Republican for governor in the state.
The group said that the federation does not have authority over the chapter and that participants are members of College Republicans of America. This is not the first time, the group wrote, “that FFCR has lied to silence christian conservative groups on campus.”
The Florida Federation of College Republicans, College Republicans of America and Fishback did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
But on social media, Fishback
called it a disgusting attack on the First Amendment and said he stands with University of Florida College Republicans “and any student group (on the right or left) whose free speech rights are under threat.”
He also wrote that as governor, he would “end the insidious cancel culture at our public, taxpayer-funded universities that has infringed on the free speech of College Republicans, Students for Justice in Palestine, and other student groups.” He retweeted someone who said that Florida would be the first state to jail people for “antisemitic speech” if he is not elected.