Photo from Wikimedia Commons. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law on April 27 addressing antisemitic hate crimes while he’s visiting Israel.
The bill, HB 269, has made it a felony to “to litter a yard with a flier, harass people, disrupt schools or religious services, deface graves and certain buildings, or project images on someone else’s property” if these actions are based on racial or ethnic prejudice, according to Tampa’s National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate. The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which provided legal advice on the bill, noted in a statement that Florida has seen a spike in antisemitism in recent years, with examples including Jews being harassed in front of an Orlando Chabad house and people going to college campuses with the message “Ye Is Right,” referencing antisemitism promulgated by rapper Kanye West.
“We are doing what we can do in Florida to enhance the ability to hold people accountable when that really crosses the line into threatening conduct,” DeSantis said during The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance’s Celebrating Faces conference in Jerusalem. “We are fighting back.”
State Representative Randy Fine (R) tweeted that the bill is “the strongest antisemitism bill in the United States.” “To Florida’s Nazi thugs, I have news: attack Jews on their property and you’re going to prison,” he wrote. “Never again means never again.”
Made a secret trip to JERUSALEM (!!!) with @RepMikeCaruso to deliver @GovRonDeSantis HB 269, the strongest antisemitism bill in the United States. To Florida’s Nazi thugs, I have news: attack Jews on their property and you’re going to prison. Never again means never again. pic.twitter.com/FYXNE5c5RU
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) April 27, 2023
Brandeis Center Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus said in a statement, “We are delighted Florida’s Governor today took strong action to address the alarming spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes by signing Florida’s HB 269. Representatives Caruso and Fine should be congratulated for their leadership and the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County applauded for its work. We are now seeing a resurgence of right-wing hate crimes in the streets, just as we are seeing left-wing anti-Semitism growing on the campuses. All forms of anti-Semitism must be fought, through all available legal means, and we are pleased that this legislation will provide us with important additional tools to do so in Florida, as we continue to fight this scourge throughout the country.”
Rabbi Moshe Matz, director of Agudath Israel’s Florida office, similarly said in a statement, “Governor DeSantis once again has shown that he is committed to fighting antisemitism, not just with words and condemnations, but with concrete action. The state of Florida was facing a very specific and targeted campaign from antisemites, and came together, in a bipartisan manner, to pass a bill introduced by Representative Mike Caruso and State Senator Alexis Calatayud that will hopefully put a stop to these displays of hate.”
During his speech, DeSantis argued that rejecting “Israel’s right to exist is antisemitism” and said that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is “DOA” in his state, per The Jerusalem Post. He also called “Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons” an “existential threat to the state of Israel and to the United States of America,” per NBC News.
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