University of Florida President Ben Sasse Perfectly Shuts Down Anti-Israel Protests On Campus, Shame 'Elite Academia' For Silence
University of Florida president and former U.S. senator Ben Sasse perfectly stated his support for Jewish students at UF and denounced Hamas defenders in a statement sent out Wednesday.
In his message, Sasse refused to skimp on the details of Hamas' terrors upon Israel and called out institutions permitting students to openly support Hamas' unprovoked attacks on men, women and children in Israel.
The UF president also promised to increase security presence on campus to protect vigils and events dedicated to Israel. It was a letter full of hard truths for the radical liberals supporting the anti-Israel campaign.
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"Sadly, too many people in elite academia have been so weakened by their moral confusion" Sasse shared.
He continued, "... ur educational mission begins with the recognition and explicit acknowledgment of human dignity — the same human dignity that Hamas' terrorists openly scorn.
"We will protect our Jewish students from violence. If anti-Israel protests come, we will absolutely be ready to act if anyone dares to escalate beyond peaceful protest.
"Speech is protected — violence and vandalism are not."
Amid a week full of silent college leaders, radical on-campus opposition to Israel and media outlets refusing to call Hamas "terrorists," it was refreshing to see someone in authority stand up and denounce the war crimes by Hamas amid tension.
Here's what Ben Sasse sent to UF students
OutKick's Clay Travis lauded the UF president's statement, hailing it as the standard for universities' response to the tragedy in Israel.
Since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, widespread support for Israel has poured in. However, the typically leftist institutions embraced anti-Israel rhetoric, turning off a sect of followers after witnessing Hamas' activity in Israel.
Despite the beheadings, shoot-outs, kidnapping and raping of Israeli citizens, leftists are clinging to their ideologies, even at the expense of Jewish students' safety. Students at the University of California, Riverside spoke with KTLA7 and shared that they felt unsafe on campus after seeing Palestinian flags planted on a university lawn. Anti-Israel walkouts appear across California's UC school, prompting internal concern from Jewish students.
Sasse defined these institutions as the "elite academia." And rather than denying Jewish students the ability to mourn the attack on Israel, Sasse ensures they can do so in total safety.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida committed to increasing on-campus police after the community quickly highlighted safety concerns with pro-Palestine activists.
Read Sasse's full statement below:
Dear Jewish Gator Alums,
Many of you have reached out about the vigil at UF last night. I was overwhelmed to see a thousand Gators standing with Israel. You can find my remarks here.
The chaos at the event was an unfortunate end to a beautiful gathering, but I wanted to let you know that there was no attack on campus and the injuries that have been reported seem to be relatively minor. From what we can gather, a student passed out and, when a fellow student called for 911, other students – understandably on edge – fled.
While we all wish the night had ended differently, we are tremendously proud of the students who came to stand with Israel. I hope Rabbi Jonah and Rabbi Berl reschedule the vigil, and I hope the community reconvenes.
Like you, I am tremendously grateful for our students. The University of Florida is home to the largest number of Jewish students at any university in this country. We are honored by and committed to that legacy. Our Jewish students and alumni around the world have been devastated by Hamas’ terrorism.
I will not tiptoe around this simple fact: What Hamas did is evil and there is no defense for terrorism. This shouldn’t be hard. Sadly, too many people in elite academia have been so weakened by their moral confusion that, when they see videos of raped women, hear of a beheaded baby, or learn of a grandmother murdered in her home, the first reaction of some is to “provide context” and try to blame the raped women, beheaded baby, or the murdered grandmother. In other grotesque cases, they express simple support for the terrorists.
This thinking isn’t just wrong, it’s sickening. It’s dehumanizing. It is beneath people called to educate our next generation of Americans. I am thankful to say I haven’t seen examples of that here at UF, either from our faculty or our student body.
As for us, our educational mission here begins with the recognition and explicit acknowledgment of human dignity – the same human dignity that Hamas’ terrorists openly scorn. Every single human life matters. We are committed to that truth. We will tell that truth.
In the coming days, it is possible that anti-Israel protests will come to UF’s campus. I have told our police chief and administration that this university always has two foundational commitments: We will protect our students and we will protect speech. This is always true: Our Constitution protects the rights of people to make abject idiots of themselves.
But I also want to be clear about this: We will protect our Jewish students from violence. If anti- Israel protests come, we will absolutely be ready to act if anyone dares to escalate beyond peaceful protest. Speech is protected – violence and vandalism are not.
I’m grateful to have heard from so many of you. Like I said at the vigil last night: When evil raises its head, as it has in recent days, it is up to men and women of conscience and courage to draw strength from truth and commit ourselves to the work of building something better – to the work of pursuing justice and pursuing peace. That is what we aim to do through education, compassion, and truth here at the University of Florida.
Sincerely, Ben