A question that has been asked since the antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-America protests began on college campuses across the country is where are the grown-ups? They are in Florida.
It’s not surprising, is it? The University of Florida warned the Hamas sympathizers that if they didn’t follow campus rules, there would be consequences. That included harsh penalties. The school sent out a notice to students that spelled out what would be acceptable behavior.
The notice by UF says that students are allowed to engage in speech, express viewpoints, and hold signs, but they are not permitted to demonstrate inside of buildings, block entrances or exits, leave unmanned signs, camp, use sound amplifiers, or make threats of violence, among other prohibitions.
The notice sent to students says violators will receive a three-year trespass and a suspension from the school, while employees will be trespassed and “separated from employment.”
The university is also holding its employees accountable, too, which is crucial. They lead by example, theoretically, and joining in the hateful protests is not acceptable. I blame decades of far-left indoctrination on college campuses by professors, filling young brains full of mush with Marxist fever dreams and hatred of Israel. Seeing faculty link arms with students and chanting along justifies my opinion.
There were protests at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida on Monday. UF officials said that nine people were arrested by university police and the Florida Highway Patrol. Charges included “failure to obey a lawful command, resisting without violence to trespass after warning. One was allegedly charged with battery after spitting on an officer.”
UF spokesman Steve Orlando announced the arrests in a press release. The university provided ample warnings, it said, about the “prohibited activities.”
“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. 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. For days UPD patiently and consistently reiterated the rules. Today, individuals who refused to comply were arrested after UPD gave multiple warnings and multiple opportunities to comply.”
The university is not a daycare and it does not treat students as children. That attitude is refreshing. Protest all you want, young adults, but do it within the rules.
USF released a statement, too. It tried to move the protest ahead of time.
“The University of South Florida values the right to free speech and protecting the constitutional right for individuals and groups on campus to express themselves. This includes peaceful protests and demonstrations that occur regularly on USF’s three campuses without incident and are part of the public discourse of a university. However, the expression of free speech must remain peaceful and not violate the law or USF policies. The university has been clear that violence, threats, harassment and disruptions will not be tolerated.
At 12 p.m. on Monday, April 29, a student organization, the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), attempted to hold a protest outside of the library on the USF Tampa campus. The group was placed on interim suspension last week after causing a disruption on campus. Suspended student organizations are not permitted to host events and activities, which the group was made aware of several times prior to today’s protest, including another reminder this morning.
When the student organization attempted to hold a protest anyway, university staff informed them that they were not authorized to continue.”
The protest moved to the other side of the street when the students were asked to leave the library. A group showed up holding Israeli flags which is reported to have sparked tension but there has not been information published on any arrests or any explusions of those students.
Professional agitators are infiltrating demonstrations and creating chaos. Is Antifa far behind?
Good for the Florida universities. This is how grown-ups act.