Ron DeSantis defends call to ban pro-Palestinian groups from Florida colleges

Governor claims groups said they are part of this Hamas movement' and violated state laws prohibiting antisemitism

The Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has amplified and defended his call to ban pro-Palestinian groups from colleges in the state, rejecting claims by 2024 rival Vivek Ramaswamy that such restrictions were a shameful political ploy" and utter hypocrisy" that amounted to a violation of free speech rights.

This is not cancel culture," DeSantis hit back in a interview on NBC's Meet the Press before locking Palestinian rights supporters in with supporters of Hamas. DeSantis went on to claim that pro-Palestinian groups on state campuses had themselves said in the aftermath of the Hamas attack that they don't just stand in solidarity, that they are part of this Hamas movement".