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Florida governor bans pro-Palestinian student group in US state

Wednesday, 25 October 2023 9:57 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 25 October 2023 10:36 AM ]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

US State of Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered universities in the state to shut down chapters of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) student group.

Florida's university system ordered colleges on Tuesday to shut down the pro-Palestinian student organization, marking the first US state to outlaw the pro-Palestinian group.

The State University System of Florida announced that the SJP had to be dismantled as part of a "crackdown" in the Republican-led state on-campus demonstrations that provide "harmful support" for the Palestinians who are being slaughtered by Israeli forces since Hamas launched its operation on Oct. 7.

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"Based on the National SJP's support of terrorism, in consultation with Governor DeSantis, the student chapters must be deactivated," the system's Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote in a memo to university leaders, noting that the SJP is active in at least two Florida universities.

The University of North Florida in Jacksonville and Florida State University in Tallahassee have SJP chapters, based on Instagram sites.

The SJP came under the spotlight after it praised the Hamas' operation as "a historic win for the Palestinian resistance" movement and called for a "day of resistance" on Oct. 12 with demons by its chapters held at over 200 colleges in America and Canada.

The ban comes as cities and communities across the United States and beyond have been showing mass support for the Palestinians under the criminal Israeli regime's attacks, demanding an end to the Zionists' war crimes and an immediate ceasefire in the occupied lands.

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DeSantis, a White House candidate considered to be the leading Republican alternative to Donald Trump, has taken an ultra-hard-line stance against Palestinians, calling for a continuation of the deadly atrocities of the Israeli regime against the besieged Gazans until Hamas releases the hostages it took during its latest operation.

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