Hard-line Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his state’s university system have enforced the first US ban on a radical pro-Palestinian student group, accusing it of providing “dangerous support for terrorist groups.”
The State University System of Florida announced that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), whose national leadership supported Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel, was forced to disband as part of a statewide “shutdown.”
“Based on the National SJP’s support for terrorism, in consultation with Governor DeSantis, the student section must be deactivated,” the system’s Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote in a letter to university leaders.
The group is active at at least two Florida universities, Rodrigues said.
The University of North Florida in Jacksonville and Florida State University in Tallahassee both have chapters, according to the Instagram site.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered the state’s university system to crack down on pro-Palestinian student groups. AP Chancellor Ray Rodrigues sent a memo on Tuesday announcing the ban on Students for Justice in Palestine.
The Florida university system wrote in its memo that the ban on SJP was based on a “toolkit” its national organization issued to college chapters that referred to Hamas attacks as “resistance” — with the group stating that “Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement,” not just “in unity” with it.
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“It is a crime under Florida law to ‘knowingly provide material support … to a designated foreign terrorist organization,'” the memo said in justifying the ban.
Officials at several universities criticized the National SJP after it hailed the Hamas attack as a “historic victory for the Palestinian resistance” and called for a “day of resistance” on October 12 with demonstrations by its chapters at more than 200 colleges in America and Canada.
Tensions between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian students have led to disruptions and clashes at universities, AFP via Getty Images
DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, has taken a hard line against Palestinians, suggesting that civilians in Gaza were denied water and utilities until Hamas released more than 200 hostages taken during its attack, which left some 1,400 Israelis dead.
He also said that if elected president, he would cancel student visas and deport people who support Hamas.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
