DeSantis denounces attempt to set up pro-Palestinian encampment at UF: 'We don't do that here'
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference on Wednesday in front of a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters on the University of Florida's campus.
Chants could be heard as DeSantis spoke from UF's Plaza of the Americas on Wednesday morning, denouncing the protests and touting Florida's educational system.
READ: 10 protesters identified after arrests at USF pro-Palestinian rally
"How many of them have actually studied the history of this? Very few," DeSantis said. "A lot of these people [don't] know what they're talking about."
DeSantis said just last week, pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to set up an encampment at the very same location he spoke from on campus. He said ‘It lasted for a few minutes.’
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"You do not have a right to commandeer property. You don't have a right to go take over parts of the university. You don't have a right to go after other students based on their ethnicity, and we're going to make sure that's upheld in the state of Florida," DeSantis said.
UF President Ben Sasse also spoke at the press conference, reiterating the school's commitment to law and order while saying he and the university honored their right to protest.
University of Florida President Ben Sasse
"The University of Florida will always uphold speech and assembly rights, and we will also always follow the law," Sasse said. "Too much of higher education has been captured by a lot of nonsense over the course of the last weeks, and that won't happen at the University of Florida."
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An encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in anticipation of the press conference, waving Palestinian flags from behind a fence guarded by officers.
"You should be able to be on a university campus, study, pursue your dreams without being attacked based on your religion," DeSantis said. "We've seen graduations canceled as a result of this stuff that's going on; that's not going on here in the state of Florida."
During his press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis also announced the approval of almost $570 million in K-12 student safety funding and $20 million for security and infrastructure improvements at Florida's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).