University of Florida College Republicans Sue UF, Alleging Viewpoint Discrimination Over Antisemitic Gesture Claim and Pro‑Israel Critic Event
The University of Florida College Republicans filed a federal lawsuit on March 17, 2026, against interim president Donald Landry seeking to block the chapter’s deactivation and restore access to campus facilities, alleging UF shut the group down without any policy basis, notice, or chance to respond and that the move amounted to unlawful viewpoint discrimination and a chill on speech. UF says it acted after the Florida Federation of College Republicans reported disbanding the chapter for a “pattern of conduct” including a recent alleged antisemitic gesture — a viral photo purportedly showing a member making a Nazi salute — while UFCR contends it is affiliated with College Republicans of America (not FFCR), calls the deactivation a pretext following its hosting of critic James Fishback, and UF declined substantive comment citing pending litigation.
📌 Key Facts
- On March 17, 2026, the University of Florida College Republicans (UFCR) filed a federal lawsuit against interim UF president Donald Landry seeking to block enforcement of the chapter’s deactivation and to restore access to campus facilities.
- The lawsuit alleges UF deactivated the chapter solely in response to an individual member’s alleged antisemitic gesture (described in reporting as an apparent Nazi salute), without any university policy basis, notice, or opportunity for the chapter to respond.
- The complaint frames UF’s action as unlawful viewpoint discrimination that aims to “silence the club and chill its future speech,” and asks for an emergency preliminary injunction; attorney Anthony Sabatini represents UFCR and calls the university’s justification a “false pretext.”
- The suit also says UF relied on two incidents in deactivating the chapter: the alleged Nazi-salute photo (reported as having gone viral and reportedly sent by a journalist to the FBI and others) and the chapter’s hosting of Republican James Fishback, a vocal critic of Israel.
- UF says it acted after receiving notification from the Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR) that it had disbanded the local chapter for a “pattern of conduct” including a “recent antisemitic gesture;” UF spokeswoman Cynthia Roldan Hernandez declined substantive comment because of the pending litigation.
- UFCR disputes FFCR’s authority over the chapter, saying on X that they are instead members of College Republicans of America and that FFCR has “no authority” to terminate them.
- UFCR noted the university terminated the organization 48 hours after their Fishback event, which UFCR described as the largest candidate event at UF in nearly 10 years.
- College Republicans of America Chairman William Donahue urged Republicans to stop “doxxing one another,” warning intra‑party fights are harming the GOP’s broader agenda.
📊 Relevant Data
At the University of Florida, 42.4% of students perceive their instructors as generally more liberal, compared to only 5.2% who perceive them as more conservative.
2024 Intellectual Freedom Survey Report — Florida Board of Governors
In US colleges, very conservative students report self-censoring 'very' or 'fairly' often at a rate of 34%, compared to 15% for very liberal students.
2025 College Free Speech Rankings — Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Attorney Anthony Sabatini, representing UFCR, is quoted saying there was “nothing unlawful” about the member’s expression and that the group is “clearly being discriminated against based on their viewpoint.”
- The lawsuit explicitly frames the alleged Nazi salute and hosting of Republican James Fishback, a vocal critic of Israel, as the incidents UF relied on in deactivating the chapter.
- UFCR’s statement on X emphasizes that 48 hours after their Fishback event—described as the largest candidate event at UF in nearly 10 years—the university terminated the organization, citing FFCR despite UFCR’s claimed lack of affiliation with that body.
- The lawsuit asserts that “no university policy, rule, or law” authorizes UF’s deactivation of UFCR and characterizes the move as an effort to “silence the club and chill its future speech.”
- The article restates UF’s prior explanation that it was acting on a request from the Florida Federation of College Republicans, which cited a “pattern of conduct” and “a recent antisemitic gesture,” but UF again declines comment on the pending litigation.
- Details that the triggering image was a viral photo of a UFCR member allegedly performing a Nazi salute, reportedly sent by a journalist to 'the FBI and others'.
- UF’s public statement specified that FFCR said some local College Republicans engaged in 'a pattern of conduct' violating FFCR rules and values, 'including a recent antisemitic gesture.'
- UFCR publicly asserted that they are not part of FFCR but instead are members of College Republicans of America, and that FFCR has 'no authority' over their chapter.
- Attorney and Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini stated they are seeking an emergency preliminary injunction and called UF’s justification a 'false pretext' meant to silence the club and chill its future speech.
- College Republicans of America Chairman William Donahue weighed in, urging Republicans to stop 'doxxing one another' and warning that intra‑party fights are damaging the GOP’s broader agenda.
- The University of Florida College Republicans filed a federal lawsuit on March 17, 2026 against interim president Donald Landry seeking to block enforcement of the chapter’s deactivation and restore access to campus facilities.
- The suit argues UF deactivated the group solely in response to an individual member’s alleged antisemitic viewpoint, without any university policy basis, notice, or opportunity for the chapter to present its side.
- The complaint frames the university’s action as an unlawful crackdown on free speech by punishing the club for viewpoints and attempting to 'silence the club and chill its future speech.'
- UF spokeswoman Cynthia Roldan Hernandez declined substantive comment, citing pending litigation, reiterating only that UF was acting on notification from the Florida Federation of College Republicans that it had disbanded the chapter for a pattern of rule‑violating conduct including an antisemitic gesture.