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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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The University of Florida (UF) disbanded its College Republicans (CR) chapter after a photo showing a student leader performing a Nazi salute started circulating on social media.
The dismantling of the group came after the university was informed by the Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR) of the damning content—a move which the now-disbanded UF College Republicans chapter described as an attempt "to silence Christian conservative groups on campus" from a group they have no affiliation with.
Newsweek contacted the University of Florida, the Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR), and the National Federation of College Republicans (NFCR) for comment by email on Monday morning.
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Why Was the UF College Republicans Chapter Disbanded?
UF said the decision to deactivate its local CR chapter was made after reviewing evidence indicating "a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture."
The FFCR, according to the university, also requested that the group be deactivated as a registered student organization "while it looks to reorganize and pursue reinstatement under new student leadership," UF wrote on X. The university is in the process of deactivating the group, it said, and will reactivate it under new student leadership "when the FFCR is ready."
The incriminating photo showing two UF College Republicans’ student leaders doing the Nazi salute in front of the camera was circulated by North Carolina–based journalist Sloan Rachmuth. The photo was a screenshot from a Guilded chat room, an online platform for the gaming community shut down in December.
"The University of Florida has emphatically supported its Jewish community and remains committed to preventing and addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment that are threatening and disruptive to our students and to the teaching, research and expressive activities of the campus community," UF wrote in its announcement.
"The university also supports the rights of organizations, such as the FFCR, to take decisive action in addressing conduct that is antithetical to its principles."
Why Does It Matter?
Antisemitic incidents have surged across the U.S. since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023 and the war waged by Israel on Gaza in its aftermath, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom were children.
More than 10,000 antisemitic incidents occurred between October 7, 2023, and September 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League, up from 3,325 incidents the prior year. Only last week, a vehicle rammed into a synagogue in Michigan.
While Donald Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that there was no space for antisemites in the MAGA movement—“I think we don’t need them. I think we don’t like them," he said—a recent Yale poll found that young conservatives are more likely to be antisemitic than liberal youngsters or older Americans.
This can create an explosive situation, especially in the context of a college campus. The University of Florida in Gainesville has the second largest Jewish student population on a college campus in the country.
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The disbanding of the UF College Republicans chapter follows another report of antisemitic behavior at a Florida university this month. On March 5, Florida International University announced that law enforcement was investigating a Miami Herald report claiming that members of the local Republican Party and conservative student leaders exchanged racist, antisemitic and homophobic messages in a leaked WhatsApp group chat.
What Has the Disbanded Group Said?
The group was disbanded 48 hours after hosting James Fishback, a right-wing gubernatorial hopeful who, despite having a very small chance of succeeding Ron DeSantis according to the latest polls, has "broken into the mainstream," as he said, with his incendiary and often racist statements.
"48 hours after we hosted James Fishback […] at the largest Candidate event at UF in nearly 10 years, UF terminated our organization. They cited the FFCR, an organization that we are not a part of that has no authority over our chapter," the disbanded group wrote on X following the university’s decision to deactivate their chapter.
"We look forward to the University reinstating our club and correcting this statement. We have retained counsel and have received information that this is not the first time that FFCR has lied to silence christian conservative groups on campus."
Fishback has intervened into the debate to defend the students, accusing the university of violating the First Amendment. "Let me get this straight: 48 hours after the UF College Republicans hosted me and 500+ supporters, you terminated them, violating the First Amendment, which you are legally bound to as a public university," he wrote on X. "Disgusting traitors," he added.
Former Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a far-right politician and attorney who now serves as a County Commissioner for Florida’s District 1, also appealed the First Amendment. "This is completely illegal—I spoke with @UFCR leadership & we will be filing a First Amendment retaliation lawsuit under Section 1983 Monday morning against you seeking an injunction," he wrote on X.
"UF has engaged in enormous viewpoint discrimination over the past year & it must be stopped NOW."
Others have been supporting of UF’s decision to dismantle the group. "Antisemitism has no place in the Republican Party, higher education or our country. Grateful to @UF for working with the FFCR to stand with Jewish students and resolve this quickly," Republican Sen. Rick Scott wrote on X.
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