State charges New College student with battery for allegedly spitting on trustee Rufo
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
State prosecutors in Sarasota County filed charges against a New College of Florida student who allegedly spat on Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist vocally critical of diversity policies and critical race theory who was appointed as one of the colleges new trustees appointed to help transform the public liberal arts program.
Catherine “Libby” Harrity, was named in a charging document accusing them of first-degree battery against Rufo at a May 15 state bill signing by Gov. Ron DeSantis on New College’s campus. DeSantis’ visit drew vocal protest from students, who have organized against his reshaping of the college since January. The governor has said he wants to turn New College into a “classical liberal” college akin to the Christian, conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan.
The charging document was not yet posted to the county's records website, but the State Attorney's Office confirmed its existence Monday.
In a Twitter post, Rufo said Harrity “broke the police line and spat on me” as he was leaving the event and described the protesters outside the bill signing as a “mob” that “surrounded me and screamed epithets.” Reached for comment about the charge, Rufo responded with the same message he posted to Twitter.
"I believe that everyone has a right to express dissent and engage in peaceful protest. But as a society, we must draw a line at politically motivated violence, which has no place in our public universities," Rufo wrote.
In May, after a bill signing ceremony with Governor DeSantis, a mob of New College students surrounded me and screamed epithets.
One of these students, Catherine Harrity ("they/them"), broke the police line and spat on me. She has now been charged with first degree battery. pic.twitter.com/B4pMlj1U99— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) July 7, 2023
When contacted by the Herald-Tribune, Harrity referred to a previous quote given to the Tampa Bay Times.
“Rufo has already done so much to harass and harm students on this campus,” Harrity said in an interview with the Times. The charges “are an attempt to punish me and are a scare tactic to silence and harass students.”
Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College of Florida student charged after complaint by trustee Rufo
