UF disbands College Republican chapter, citing antisemitic activity

• The University of Florida deactivated its College Republicans chapter after a photo showed a student leader performing a Nazi salute.
• The club's deactivation was requested by the Florida Federation of College Republicans, though the UF chapter claims no affiliation with that group.
• The university stated it is willing to reinstate the club once new leadership is installed.

The University of Florida deactivated its College Republicans chapter after the Florida Federation of College Republicans alerted the university to a photo showing a student leader performing a Nazi salute.

UF wrote that the gesture violated its policies in a March 14 statement on X.

The photo, circulated on X by North Carolina–based journalist Sloan Rachmuth, was a screenshot showing two students performing a Nazi salute in a Guilded chatroom. The group chat platform was designed for gaming communities and was shut down in December 2025.

The Florida Federation of College Republicans requested UF disband the chapter while it looked to reorganize the club after it engaged in "a pattern of conduct that violated [FFCR's] rules and values," but it's unclear what authority the FFCR has over UFCR.

The UF club says it's not affiliated with FFCR and instead is part of the College Republicans of America. Both of those organizations accused the FFCR of lying to UF to get the club disbanded.

“They cited the FFCR, an organization that we are not a part of that has no authority over our chapter. We are proud members of a different organization, @uscollegegop,” the club wrote on X. “We look forward to the University reinstating our club and correcting this statement. We have retained counsel and have received information that this is not the first time that FFCR has lied to silence christian conservative groups on campus.”

FFCR did not immediately reply to the Sun's request for comment on its relationship with the UF club.

UFCR's deactivation comes three days after the club hosted gubernatorial candidate James Fishback on campus.

The New York Times reported that Fishback, an America First Republican, has openly criticized the U.S.’s ties to Israel and has been praised for his rhetoric by far-right commentator Nick Fuentes, who is often associated with antisemitic views.  

Fishback told his X followers on March 14 that he would file an amicus brief in support of the UFCR and every student group’s right to free speech.

“Whether a group is left or right, pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel, religious or secular, we must fully defend their free speech. I will as Governor,” he wrote.

UF is in the process of deactivating UFCR as a registered student organization, according to its statement. The university said it would be willing to reinstate the club once it has installed new leadership.

“The University of Florida has emphatically supported its Jewish community and remains committed to preventing and addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment that are threatening and disruptive to our students and to the teaching, research and expressive activities of the campus community,” the statement read. “The university also supports the rights of organizations, such as the FFCR, to take decisive action in addressing conduct that is antithetical to its principles.”

Some Republican state leaders wrote on X that they view the club's disbanding as a continuation of “cancel culture” and urged the university to reinstate it.

Republican Lake County commissioner and attorney Anthony Sabatini threatened a lawsuit against UF on X.

"This is completely illegal—I spoke with @UFCR leadership & I will be filing a First Amendment retaliation lawsuit under Section 1983 Monday morning against @UF seeking an injunction. UF has engaged in enormous viewpoint discrimination over the past year & it must be stopped NOW,” he wrote.

Others were supportive of the decision.

"Antisemitism has no place in the Republican Party, higher education or our country. Grateful to @UF for working with the FFCR to stand with Jewish students and resolve this quickly," Sen. Rick Scott wrote on X.

The University of Florida has the second highest number of Jewish students on a college campus.

FFCR was officially recognized as an auxiliary College Republican organization by the Republican Party of Florida last year, according to a November 2025 Facebook post. The group has denounced what it describes as antisemitic rhetoric by Republican leaders in the state on its Facebook page, including recent reports of a racist and antisemitic group chat involving the Miami-Dade Republican Party’s secretary.