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University of Florida moves to deactivate College Republicans after report of antisemitic behavior

FILE: The University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida.
Miami Herald
FILE: The University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida.

The University of Florida is moving to deactivate its College Republicans chapter after reports of antisemitic behavior by some members. UF officials said over the weekend that the Florida Federation of College Republicans told them it already disbanded the Gainesville chapter.

The University of Florida says it's deactivating the campus College Republicans as a registered student group after being notified that some members engaged in antisemitism.

The deactivation effort at the University of Florida campus marks the second time this month that a public university in Florida has taken action against a Republican group accused of being involved in racist or antisemitic behavior.

Earlier this month, Florida International University in Miami launched an investigation into a group chat started by an official with the Miami-Dade chapter of the Republican Party that included violently racist slurs, antisemitic comments and misogynistic language. The chat involved students and several top conservative leaders at Florida International University.

READ MORE: FIU Turning Point USA chapter president steps down amid racist group chat backlash

Officials at the University of Florida said over the weekend that they had been informed by the Florida Federation of College Republicans that the federation had disbanded the Gainesville campus' chapter after determining that some members had "engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture."

When the Florida Federation of College Republicans is ready, the university will assist with reactivating the campus chapter under new student leadership, UF officials said in a statement.

Last fall, New York's Republican State Committee suspended a Young Republican organization following the release of a group chat that included jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers.

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Associated Press
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