The American Civil Liberties Union has challenged Florida’s ban on pro-Palestinian university groups, arguing in a federal lawsuit that the state is violating students’ free speech as tensions roil US campuses over Israel’s attack on Hamas, Reuters reports.
The lawsuit — against DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential hopeful, and several state university system officials — was filed on behalf of the University of Florida’s SJP chapter and seeks a preliminary injunction to a state order blocking SJP from receiving school funds and using campus facilities.
“If Florida officials think silencing pro-Palestinian students protects the Jewish community — or anyone, they’re wrong. This attack on free speech is dangerous,” Howard Simon, interim executive director of ACLU of Florida, said in a statement.
