The Florida Federation of College Republicans has disbanded the University of Florida’s local student chapter after finding that some members “engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated [the organization’s] rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture,” the University of Florida posted on X.
The Gainesville Sun reported that the gesture consisted of two students performing a Nazi salute.
In keeping with FFCR’s policies, UF said it is “in the process of deactivating the Local CR as a registered student organization.”
UF’s College Republicans linked the disbandment to an event they hosted featuring long-shot Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, who has criticized America’s ties to Israel and won praise from far-right, antisemitic commentator Nick Fuentes.
“48 hours after we hosted James Fishback (@j_fishback) at the largest Candidate event at UF in nearly 10 years, @UF terminated our organization,” the group posted on X.
The post also said the group is affiliated not with FFCR but with the College Republicans of America.
“They cited the FFCR, an organization that we are not a part of that has no authority over our chapter. We are proud members of a different organization, @uscollegegop,” the club wrote on X. “We look forward to the University reinstating our club and correcting this statement.”
The club has hired a lawyer, writing, “This is not the first time that FFCR has lied to silence christian conservative groups on campus.”
UF said it will work with the Florida Federation of College Republicans to reinstate the campus chapter under new leadership when the time comes.
