‘Not a day care’: 9 pro-Palestine protesters arrested at UF as demonstrations rage on
Video above: Anti-war protests continue at University of South Florida
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Nine pro-Palestine protesters were arrested during a demonstration at the University of Florida Monday as college campuses across the country continue to hold protests in solidarity with Gaza.
UF confirmed to WFLA that campus police and the Florida Highway Patrol took nine protesters into custody for charges ranging from failure to obey a lawful command and resisting without violence to trespass after warning.
Pro-Palestine students line up with umbrella shields at USF protest
One of the protesters was also charged with battery on a law enforcement officer for allegedly spitting on an officer.
“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,” UF spokesman Steve Orlando said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
Ahead of Monday’s protest at the Gainesville campus, the university warned students and staff if they do not follow rules, such as no camping, putting structures, or disrupting academic activity, they will receive a three-year trespass and suspension. Staff will also be trespassed and fired.
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“The University of Florida will always protect speech and uphold the law. Peaceful protests are constitutionally protected. Camping, putting up structures, disrupting academic activity, or threatening others on university property is strictly prohibited. The University has clearly communicated this to our students and explained that they can exercise their free speech rights but breaking the law will result in an immediate trespassing order from UFPD and an interim suspension from Student Life,” UF’s Director of Public Affairs Cynthia Roldán Hernández said.
Over the past two weeks, the list of college campuses grappling with pro-Palestine protests and encampments has continued to grow with nearly 50 colleges across the United States showcasing disapproval against Israel’s military activities in Gaza.
According to Campus Safety Magazine, nearly 1,000 people have been arrested during protests across the U.S.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that students who partake in pro-Palestine protests will be expelled, claiming that it’s “not free speech.”
“At places like Columbia and Yale, Hamas protesters rule the roost, and the universities are too weak and scared to do anything — even as these mobs harass Jewish students and faculty,” DeSantis posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled.”
DeSantis warns of potential expulsion for student protesters in Florida
“When you are chasing Jewish students around, when you’re not letting a Jewish professor enter a building, when you are targeting people like that, that’s not free speech,” the governor said. “That’s harassment. That violates appropriate conduct and yet at Columbia, Yale, all these places, those guys, those folks rule the roost.”
“You do that in Florida at our universities, we are showing you the door,” DeSantis added.
Most recently, students at the University of South Florida held protests on campus Tuesday. As students locked arms, others surrounded them with umbrellas and blocks of wood to serve as shields, as they anticipated potential tear gas from police.
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