Governor Ron DeSantis ordered colleges across Florida’s university system to “deactivate” Students from Justice in Palestine (SJP) from campuses, citing its provision of “material support” for Hamas, “a designated foreign terrorist group.”
“Based on the National SJP’s support of terrorism, in consultation with Governor DeSantis, the student chapters must be deactivated,” state university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote in a letter on Tuesday. “It is a felony under Florida law to ‘knowingly provide material support . . . to a designated foreign terrorist organization,’” the official added.
Rodrigues pointed to a “toolkit” released by the national SJP body praising the Hamas atrocities, known by the codename Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and demanding student members play a part in the global “resistance” movement. The document contained cartoon graphics showing Hamas paragliders for American chapters to use and applauded Hamas’ invasion of Israel.
“Today, we witness a historic win for the Palestinian resistance: Across land, air, and sea, our people have broken down the artificial barriers of the Zionist entity, taking with it the facade of an impenetrable settler colony and reminding each of us that total return and liberation to Palestine is near,” the introduction of the document states. “As the Palestinian student movement, we have an unshakable responsibility to join the call for mass mobilization.”
Across hundreds of American campuses, SJP groups had endorsed the Palestinian terrorist group’s attack, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a letter on Friday. Their conduct could violate state and federal laws related to supporting a foreign terrorist organization. One example from the ADL letter referenced an SJP chapter at the University of Virginia which released an official statement proclaiming, “We stand in solidarity with Palestinian resistance fighters,” one day after the massacre.
“Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement,’” Rodrigues wrote in the memorandum. “Here, National SJP has affirmatively identified it is part of the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood — a terrorist led attack.”
The student group, in cooperation with Palestine Legal, released a statement denouncing the order and asserting that SJP will challenge the move in court.
“The claim relies on the broad and vague ‘material support for terrorism’ regime, which criminalizes even nonviolent coordination with designated terrorist organizations,” the legal group specializing in bolstering “the Palestine solidarity movement,” writes.
“This is a blatant attack on students’ First Amendment rights, and it will be challenged in court,” the statement added. “Florida, particularly under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, has been actively undermining education, freedom of speech, and social justice movements, including by banning anti-racist courses and trying to criminalize protests. It is not surprising that this egregious move to silence the student movement for Palestinian rights is being pursued under DeSantis.”
Republican presidential challenge Vivek Ramaswamy echoed this in a statement denouncing DeSantis’ decision. “My view is that the answer to bad speech is not less speech, it is more speech. And I think it is wrong for us to silence those we disagree with,” the tech entrepreneur told the Hill. “I don’t think that’s the American way. I don’t think that’s productive, and I don’t think we convince any of those people by browbeating them into submission through fear either.”
Within the state, SJP is active on the campuses of the University of Florida and the University of South Florida.