The University of Florida said on March 14 that it is heeding a request from the Florida Federation of College Republicans to temporarily deactivate the chapter on the public school’s campus as it seeks to relaunch with new leadership.
The school said that the federation informed it recently that it “has disbanded the local chapter of College Republicans,” based on findings that some of the local members “engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture.”
The federation also asked the school to deactivate the local group “as a registered student organization while it looks to reorganize and pursue reinstatement under new student leadership,” the school said.
“The University of Florida has emphatically supported its Jewish community and remains committed to preventing and addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment that are threatening and disruptive to our students and to the teaching, research and expressive activities of the campus community,” it said.
The school added that when the federation is ready, the university will help reactivate the local chapter “under new student leadership.”
The public school in Gainesville is thought to have the largest number of Jewish undergraduates.
The decision follows a photograph that circulated on social media, which appeared to show the secretary of the group chapter performing a Nazi salute.
The chapter stated that the university was deactivating it based on a decision from an umbrella group under which it does not fall.
“They cited the Florida Federation of College Republicans, an organization that we are not a part of, that has no authority over our chapter. We are proud members of a different organization, College Republicans of America,” the chapter said.
“We look forward to the university reinstating our club and correcting this statement,” it said. “We have retained counsel and have received information that this is not the first time that the Florida Federation of College Republicans has lied to silence Christian conservative groups on campus.” (JNS sought comment from the university.)
The Florida Federation of College Republicans has been vocal in denouncing Jew-hatred in the state’s Republican party. It said on Nov. 11 that it had become “the official auxiliary College Republican organization recognized by the Republican Party of Florida.”
Less than two weeks ago, College Republicans of America published a post welcoming the University of Florida chapter of the College Republicans.
It has also shared multiple posts by William Branson Donahue, listed as chairman of the group, in the past two days, denouncing the Jewish writer who shared the images of the apparent Nazi salute and calling for disciplinary action.
“College Republicans of America is furious that a rival organization has lied to the University of Florida to terminate our chapter. Completely unacceptable, National Federation of College Republicans. That’s low, even for you guys,” Donahue wrote.
“We support our students’ right to free speech,” he wrote, “even if their endorsements don’t match our own at the national level. I’m aware they’ve retained counsel, and we will support them in reinstating the chapter.”
“All of College Republicans of America stands with UF College Republicans,” stated Martin Bertao, president of College Republicans of America.
A local attorney and county commissioner said that he would file a lawsuit on Monday morning seeking an injunction against the university.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) stated that “antisemitism has no place in the Republican Party, higher education or our country” and that he was grateful to the university for working with the federation “ to stand with Jewish students and resolve this quickly.”
