Lawmakers praise UF president for strong stance against Hamas: ‘Follow his lead.’

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Leaders across the aisle applauded University of Florida President Ben Sasse for his strong stance against Hamas as the war in Israel escalates.

Sasse strongly condemned the attacks by Hamas against Israel in a letter sent to alumni Tuesday, which has been highly shared across social media.

The day prior, a vigil was scheduled at the university, which ended early due to an incident.

“I will not tiptoe around this simple fact: What Hamas did is evil and there is no defense for terrorism,” Sasse said. “This shouldn’t be hard.”

Sasse became president of the university in February. He formerly served as a Republican senator in Nebraska. Sasse previously made headlines as one of the seven Republican senators to vote to impeach former President Donald Trump in 2021.

Sasse said “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.”

He said “in other grotesque cases, they express simple support for the terrorists.”

Sasse said this thinking “isn’t just wrong, it’s sickening.”

“It’s dehumanizing. It is beneath people called to educate our next generation of Americans,” Sasse said.

Sasse said he is “thankful” to say he hasn’t seen any examples at UF.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla, responded to Sasse’s speech, which was posted online after the event.

“Glad to see @UF President @BenSasse standing strong for Israel and Florida’s Jewish community,” Scott said.

Scott said every university in Florida “should follow his lead, protect Jewish students and call out Hamas for the terrorists they are.”

Glad to see @UF President @BenSasse standing strong for Israel and Florida’s Jewish community. Every university in Florida should follow his lead, protect Jewish students and call out Hamas for the terrorists they are. https://t.co/eRAO4UlANJ

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) October 11, 2023

On Wednesday, Fox News reported universities across the U.S. are getting blowback following statements made by anti-Israel groups on campus that have “gone unchecked by campus leaders.”

Also Wednesday, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., denounced a demonstration on Florida State University’s campus where a pro-Hamas student organization advocated for “Palestinian resistance.”

FSU has yet to respond to Florida’s Voice on the incident.

Going forward, Sasse said it is possible that anti-Israel protests will come to UF’s campus.

He said he told their police chief and administration that the university 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,” Sasse continued.

But, he said he wants to “be clear,” they “will protect Jewish students from violence.”

The president said if anti-Israel protests happen, they will be “ready to act if anyone dares to escalate beyond peaceful protest.”

“Speech is protected – violence and vandalism are not,” the president continued.

Sasse said the University of Florida is home to the largest number of Jewish students at any university in the country.

“We are proud of that legacy. We have Jewish alumni around the country and world who are also devastated by this terror,” Sasse said.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said “UF President Ben Sasse sends statement that SCHOOLS academia on the barbaric, Hamas terrorist attacks against #Israel & the moral relativism and pathetic hypocrisy we’re seeing against the Jewish State!”

🚨NEW: @UF President Ben Sasse sends statement that SCHOOLS academia on the barbaric, Hamas terrorist attacks against #Israel & the moral relativism and pathetic hypocrisy we're seeing against the Jewish State! pic.twitter.com/S8K1MJW16c

— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) October 12, 2023

“Great statement from our @UF President, @BenSasse,” said U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.

Kammack said she is “thankful to have incredible leaders in our community like him.”

Great statement from our @UF President, @BenSasse. Thankful to have incredible leaders in our community like him. 🐊🇺🇸🇮🇱 https://t.co/gcc1Mrj8HH

— Kat Cammack (@Kat_Cammack) October 11, 2023

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried thanked Sasse on social media.

“Thank you @BenSasse for speaking at the vigil last night, for condemning the heinous terror attacks on the Jewish people and for recognizing the impact these events have on our Jewish community. @UF” Fried said.

Thank you @BenSasse for speaking at the vigil last night, for condemning the heinous terror attacks on the Jewish people and for recognizing the impact these events have on our Jewish community. @UF https://t.co/nN5Bnzp3FO

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) October 10, 2023

Also in his letter, Sasse mentioned an incident that occurred at the vigil and provided details. During the vigil, a stampede broke out following a misunderstanding over a student who fainted, according to reports.

Sasse said there were over 1,000 people at the vigil. He said 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,” Sasse said.

Sasse said he hopes the vigil is rescheduled and the community reconvenes.

“While we all wish the night had ended differently, we are tremendously proud of the students who came to stand with Israel,” Sasse said.