Palestine

The players have names like José and Antonio and grew up in a South American nation near Antarctica. But their fervor for the Palestinian cause and bright red, white, black and green-colored jerseys is unmatched.

Saying it opposes “any form of academic censorship,” the United Faculty of Florida on Monday objected to a directive issued this month by university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues about reviewing textbooks and other materials for “antisemitic material” or “anti-Israeli” bias.

At issue is a directive from The Board of Governors to “conduct a keyword search on course descriptions and course syllabi for the following keywords: Israel, Israeli, Palestine, Palestinian, Middle East, Zionism, Zionist, Judaism, Jewish, or Jews.” The directive had made many university professors and others uncomfortable.

Miami arts nonprofit Oolite Arts has canceled this year’s The Ellies, its annual event that awards grant funding to local artists and arts educators. This comes after months of controversy surrounding the group’s removal a pro-Palestinian artwork from an exhibition.

The group is known as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE. It’s headquartered in Philadelphia and was founded in 1999 with the aim of protecting free speech within higher education.

The University of Florida set aside recommendations to lightly punish some of the college students arrested after pro-Palestinian protests on campus, kicking them all out of school for three to four years.

The placement of controversial artwork in the midst of Miami Beach’s Jewish community, a local art organization’s decision to remove it and the subsequent backlash from artists accusing the group of censorship has splintered Miami’s tight knit arts community along the same fault lines seen throughout the world.

After the nonprofit Oolite Arts removed pro-Palestinian artwork from Walgreens window display in response to hate speech complaints, several South Florida artists have filled the space in protest.

A group of South Florida artists are raising the alarm after local nonprofit Oolite Arts removed a public artwork over complaints of alleged “hate speech” and “political” content.

Student protesters supporting Palestine at the University of Florida are now vulnerable to suspension following continuing protests. This comes as colleges and universities are cracking down on a recent surge in students protesting against the war between Israel and Palestine.

The South Florida Coalition for Palestine, joined by South Florida artists, led a rally at the Miami Beach Convention Center during Art Basel Miami Beach on Friday to demand a permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. And an end to millions of dollars in Israeli bonds purchased by Miami-Dade County.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he’s arranged to send drones, weapons, and ammunition to Israel as it prepares for an incursion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack. It’s the latest official response DeSantis has taken to back Israel as he competes in the 2024 Republican primary.