The University of Florida’s College Republicans chapter was disbanded after a finding that some of its members had violated a statewide organization’s rules, including making an antisemitic gesture.
A photo reportedly depicting two students giving a Nazi salute had been shared on social media.
The university said over the weekend that the Florida Federation of College Republicans had disbanded the chapter and asked school officials to deactivate it as a registered student organization while it seeks new leadership for the group.
“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,” the school said in a statement. “The university also supports the rights of organizations, such as the FFCR, to take decisive action in addressing conduct that is antithetical to its principles.”
University of Florida College Republicans did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. But the group posted on social media that the action came 48 hours after members hosted a well-attended candidate event on campus for James Fishback, who is running as a Republican for governor in the state.
The group said that the federation does not have authority over the chapter and that participants are members of College Republicans of America. This is not the first time, the group wrote, “that FFCR has lied to silence christian conservative groups on campus.”
The Florida Federation of College Republicans, College Republicans of America and Fishback did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
But on social media, Fishback called it a disgusting attack on the First Amendment and said he stands with University of Florida College Republicans “and any student group (on the right or left) whose free speech rights are under threat.”
He also wrote that as governor, he would “end the insidious cancel culture at our public, taxpayer-funded universities that has infringed on the free speech of College Republicans, Students for Justice in Palestine, and other student groups.” He retweeted someone who said that Florida would be the first state to jail people for “antisemitic speech” if he is not elected.
Some Republican leaders have criticized college campuses as being too politically liberal and have pushed to establish more conservative student groups. They have also been critical of student protests over conservative speakers. In recent years, the influential Turning Point USA, which encourages conservative politics among young people, has formed chapters at high schools and colleges across the country. Its founder, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot at a campus event last year, prompting renewed calls for free speech, civil discourse and openness to opposing ideas.
But debates over when speech crosses the line continue to divide some campuses.
Last week, the Hoya, a campus newspaper at Georgetown University, reported that the school’s College Republicans chapter had deleted an anti-Muslim social media post amid backlash. The paper published a screenshot of the post, written in response to commentary about two men charged with trying to support a foreign terrorist group after attempting to detonate explosives during an anti-Islam rally outside the home of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “Let’s Be Honest: Muslims have no place in American society. Their religion is incompatible with our Christian Nation,” the group wrote, according to the Hoya.
Georgetown University College Republicans said on social media last week that the post was inconsistent with the values of the group and posted without the knowledge of the executive board. The group said that the post was promptly deleted once discovered and that internal disciplinary actions had been taken, as well as efforts to ensure posts like that were not made again. “We reaffirm our commitment to Georgetown University’s values,” the chapter wrote.
The university posted a statement to the campus community that it had learned a student group had posted an Islamophobic statement on social media and was reviewing the situation. The school said it condemned the language used, calling it deeply inconsistent with the university’s values. “Georgetown is proud of the religious diversity of our community,” school leaders wrote.
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