A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s top cop is starting the week with a firm reminder to institutions of higher learning in the Sunshine State.
Given that the 2023-24 academic year featured anti-Israeli protests on college campuses elsewhere in the country, with at least some of them veering into antisemitism, Ashley Moody is reminding colleges and universities in Florida to refrain from playing host to “cesspools of lawlessness and hate.”
The letter to the schools is a follow-up to a communication last year to the same institutions.
“Last year, my office circulated a memo advising higher education officials of the zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism in our state. Florida offered an example to the rest of the country with swift action while other states witnessed their colleges and universities overtaken by chaos and, in some instances, crime,” Moody wrote.
“Let this serve as a reminder, there is no room in our state for lawlessness or antisemitism. As a new school year begins, we are renewing our commitment to making Florida a safe state for Jewish students.”
The letter notes potential perils for not following the path preferred by state officials.
“I also want to advise you that failing to protect Jewish students would create significant legal risk for Florida colleges and universities,” Moody added.
“For example, a federal court in California recently entered an injunction against UCLA after the court found that ‘Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith,’ a fact the court called ‘unimaginable’ and ‘abhorrent to our constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.’ Such failures may also put federal funding at risk.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis moved earlier this year to waive transfer rules for students at elite colleges fleeing antisemitism elsewhere, saying this Spring that rather than being “targeted by these rage mobs on campus,” students “can come to Florida and … study in a good environment (and be) treated with respect.”
14 comments
Yrral
August 26, 2024 at 6:01 pm
American have a moral and legal obligation to speak out about the Protocols of Genocidal Elders of Israel,these students pay taxes and should speak out against the genocide and occupation of Palestine,the people of Israel deserve the government they have and hell that go along with it Google Smotrich Palestinian, Google Ben Gvir Hate Crime Google Eliyahu Palestinians
Ocean Joe
August 27, 2024 at 10:22 am
Google Jews and the Civil Rights movement in America. Google Mr. Goodman of Mississippi Burning.
Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself. Arab neighbors have gone to war (48, 67, 73) to eliminate Israel and when that didnt work have terrorized the western world for 50 years with hijackings, bus bombings, 9-11, Munich, and two Intifadas.
Arab Israelis enjoy more rights than those in the Arab world, including the Bedouin Arab Israeli the IDF rescued this morning from Gaza, kidnapped on Oct 7.
Jewish college students are Americans first, they do not need the political posturing of Ashley Moody, laws already exist.
Other college students, including Queers for Palestine, have the right to protest, just wish they knew what they were supporting. Hamas has a roof waiting for them.
rick whitaker
August 27, 2024 at 2:15 pm
ocean joe, as a gentile (unclean), i do not agree with or respect zionism. . can jews drop the religious bs or are they doomed by it? i don’t care what race a person is, but i don’t believe in god or that jews are the chosen people. i see christians as an equal threat. religion causes war. jews and christians seem to care more about money and power than people. that’s what the disease of religion does to people.
JustBabs
August 27, 2024 at 4:44 pm
What a special kind of fool Moody is to mention our Jewish Americans. There are many other groups more vulnerable in this country, right now, including Palestinians.
My Take
September 3, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Imagine our black fellow citizens wondering:
“Where WHERE they the past five+ generations with regard to black students?”
My Take
September 3, 2024 at 3:37 pm
Where WERE they
We see you
August 26, 2024 at 7:38 pm
And there they are, the bigots in plain sight. Confusing foreign policy views with attacking individual citizens. 1938 is calling. We see you. How would
It look if you said this about all Muslim people (as if somehow people could be lumped into one giant group) and then used that as an excuse to attack people personally or attack their constitutional rights? What about LGBTQ+? Or Black and people of African descent? Or Hispanics? Or Asian? As if any peoples who fit into these oversimplified fake mass labels can be truly lumped in and stereotyped and then you get to attack them? How about misogyny? Or disabled people? First Nations? No? Here’s the thing. I see people like you making every excuse because it’s against Jewish people. And that, my friend is just hate and hypocrisy. I applaud the state of Florida for standing up for its students and demanding respect across the board. People can peacefully protest all they want on issues, not attack others and violate their constitutional rights. You don’t get to cherry pick targets for hate crimes.
Yrral
August 26, 2024 at 7:43 pm
The state of Florida is run by Bigots
Yrral
August 26, 2024 at 7:49 pm
Their is no.law against anti semitism in the US ,their are laws against depravation of rights
LexT
August 27, 2024 at 8:38 am
There are laws against Harassment, Assault, and Stalking. Jewish students should feel safe. People should also be able to protest in proper manners and places. Protests should not turn into physical intimidation, especially not of students. We all need to keep in perspective that if the Palestinians wanted a country, there had to be land available to them. The Palestinians have wanted all of Israel, which was not a compromise. Wanting a country is understandable, wanting to exterminate another country and people is abhorrent.
My Take
September 3, 2024 at 3:42 pm
Jewish students should feel safe.
=======
Yes they should. But first they should BE safe. That is more important.
And if they are generally safe (as safe as any of us) but feel unsafe, that is a different problem.
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 1:35 pm
“There is no room in our state for lawlessness or antisemitism. Between me and Rhonda and Turnip Truck and our incel fanboys, we are full up with lawlessness and antisemitism” is what I hear Assley saying
Cindy
August 27, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Should have just kept the crack
Making no sense
August 27, 2024 at 6:01 pm
I am not grammatic correct. Or don’t want to be . That’s my policy. But Jewish is Jewish and that the policy. All have the right to presue happiness so let’s stop playing no consititition to them in pretending to protest.
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