Pro-Palestinian Protesters Confronted by Over a Dozen University of Florida Police Officers
Updated May 2 | The protester’s demands have been updated.
The University of Florida Police Department (UFPD) showed up in full force last night against pro-Palestinian protesters who’ve been stationed at the Plaza of the Americas.
According to an action coordinator, the protest began on April 24 at noon.
On the protest’s second day, state troopers were lined up in front of the Plaza of the Americas. Protesters were notified that allowable activities include “Speech, expressing viewpoints, and holding signs in hands.”
Prohibited activities include “No amplified sounds, no demonstrations inside buildings, no littering, no sleeping, no unattended signs, no blocking, no disruption, no threats, no violence, and no weapons. The list additionally states, “No building structures (chairs, stakes, benches, tables.)” And “No camping, including tents, sleeping bags, pillows, etc.)”
The list of prohibited activities concludes by stating, “Any other items and/or activities deemed to be non-compliant with policy and regulations by university officials.”
The consequences of non-compliance include a three-year trespass and suspension. Employees would be “separated from employment.”
Protesters have shown that the original memo of rules and regulations from UF contained typographic errors, and UF has since corrected their written mistakes.
As the protest ended its fourth day, at around 9:30 pm two UFPD police officers arrived on the scene and told the organizers that they were prohibited from having chairs.
Just after 10:00 pm, over a dozen cop cars arrived on the scene and took all the chairs at the location due to them being constituted as "abandoned property."
Some protesters told the officers that they had better things to do with the amount of crimes on campus, saying they should focus more on stopping rapists. This is likely in reference to crime statistics showing rape has been common violent crime at UF in the last decade.
Protesters additionally chanted “IDF, KKK, UFPD all the same.” as the police walked away with the chairs.
The activists said UFPD violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations as they walked away with the chairs due to at least one of the protesters having a disability which prevented them from standing or laying down for long periods of time.
The police remained on the scene for nearly two hours, taking a cart, food, and tarps. By midnight, they had dispersed but remained around the area.
There were talks from both police and protesters about possible arrests or trespass orders, however, as of this writing, it has not culminated in any such happenings.
Protesters were permitted to stay in the field all night if they were not sleeping, prompting some to leave, but many remained in the field awake the entire night.
Police have told protesters that the signs must be attended to at all times, prompting some to tape signs to their bodies.
Shortly before the officers left they told the protesters they would return at 6:40 am to take down a flag hung from a tree.
The UF Divestment Coalition held a meeting agreeing that they would chant their demands regularly. The following are the protesters' demands:
1. Disclosure: The university's investment portfolio from 2014-2024 and beyond must be made transparent and accessible to the public
2. Student Oversight: Establish a student oversight committee for future investments, ensuring student input and approval.
3. Termination of Partnerships Complicit in Human Rights Violations: UF must sever ties with weapons, arms, and AI contractors which are directly implicated in human rights violations, including the Gaza genocide. Specifically, UF must:
- Cut ties between UF Innovate and RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Company)
- Cut ties with Chris Malachowaky and Nvidia
- Refuse to allow RTX, Lockheed Martin, or other weapons manufacturers into UF career fairs
- Discontinue RTX's involvement in the Integrated Product & Process Design course offered at UF
- Refuse to take part in Lockheed Martin's "Ethics in Engineering" competition
- End the partnership between UF's Women Engineers Rise Mentorship program with Kratos Defense and L3Harris.
4. Academic Boycott: UF must sever all institutional ties with Israeli universities complicit in apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and falsifying historical information. Specifically, UF must:
- Terminate the partnership with Israeli Hebrew University which is partially built upon occupied Palestinian territory, in contravention of international law
5. Divestment: UF must divest from funding and partnering with weapons manufacturers that are implicated in human rights violations in the Gaza genocide, including Lockheed Martin, RTX, Kratos Defense, and L3Harris.
6. Speaker Policy: Refrain from hosting speakers affiliated with the Israeli military or spreading misinformation about the history of Palestine (e.g., 1948 Nakba, right of return).
7. Drop All Charges: UF must drop all charges and disciplinary actions against Pro-Palestinian students.
At 6:51 am UFPD officers arrived at the area and told protesters the scarf needed to come down. None of the protesters claimed ownership of the keffiyeh and an officer took it down.
Protesters have announced several events occurring today.
Update: Three UFPD officers arrived at 9:36 am and told protesters to pack up anything that isn’t a personal item under order of UF leadership.
Update 2: Protesters returned within an hour after packing up non-personal items.
They have received little resistance so far besides one officer telling them not to bring packed supplies due to a woman walking up with a box of Cheez Its.
