UF Deactivates College Republicans Chapter Over Antisemitic Gesture

The University of Florida has begun deactivating its campus chapter of College Republicans as a registered student organization following reports that some members engaged in antisemitic behavior, including a gesture interpreted as a Nazi salute. The action, announced over the weekend in Gainesville, comes after the Florida Federation of College Republicans informed university officials of misconduct within the group.

According to university officials, the federation disbanded the local chapter after identifying a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, highlighted by a recent antisemitic gesture captured in a photograph of two student leaders. The image, which surfaced on social media from a now-defunct online chat room, showed the individuals raising their arms in a manner resembling the Sieg Heil salute. The University of Florida stated it supports the federation's decision and is processing the deactivation while committing to assist in reactivating the chapter under new student leadership when the organization is prepared.

This marks the second instance this month in which a public university in Florida has addressed allegations of racist or antisemitic...