Ron DeSantis backs government action against protesters accused of intimidating Jewish students

Gov. Ron DeSantis says government officials should take action against pro-Palestinian protesters accused of intimidating Jewish students at America’s universities.

During an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, the Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate suggested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division should be on every campus where demonstrations are causing what Hewitt called “intimidation” of Jewish students.

“100%. Absolutely. I mean, this is, can you imagine, Hugh, if this were done against any other group? They would be, it would be huge. And yet, it’s almost like the powers that be think that this is an acceptable form of bigotry. But this has been a lot uglier than anything that we’ve seen in modern American history. And it’s worse than even I thought,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis has offered creative suggestions to re-purpose the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division since becoming a candidate, including turning federal law enforcement on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and moving operations to Iowa, which is 88% White.

Additionally, DeSantis told Hewitt that he was confident that some protests meet the high standard established in 1969’s Brandenburg v. Ohio, a case that says free speech is permitted if it falls short of incitement to illegal action.

The Supreme Court overturned lower court convictions of a Ku Klux Klan leader in the Buckeye State based on a belief that threatening language at a KKK rally against various groups fell short of calling for direct action against them.

The Governor seems to argue that confrontations between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups on campus pose more of a threat than Klan rallies did, however.

“I think in some instances, it can. I think when you have these students in Cooper Union fleeing for their lives, when you have an angry mob that’s out there, yes, being incited with a lot of nasty rhetoric, I think, and it’s a tough test to meet, as you know, but I think in those instances, you probably meet that test for sure,” DeSantis said.

He added that “casting your lot and you’re saying you’re part of this, then that takes you out of protected speech. And I think that is well-documented in court cases all the way up to the Supreme Court.”