Fight Back News Service is circulating the following February 3 statement from Florida State University Student for a Democratic Society (SDS).

This week an FSU undergraduate student has been exposed through copious emails and message logs as being a member of the Neo-Nazi group Patriot Front. The student is Calvin Stow-Ortiz from Tampa, where his father unsurprisingly works for the Tampa Police Department. In leaked messages Stow-Ortiz references spreading the groups propaganda posters and stickers in the Tampa area and made plans with another Patriot Front member to vandalize FAMU’s campus with white supremacist stickers. On the messaging app Telegram, Stow-Ortiz uses a picture of an SS Nazi soldier as his profile picture. In another leaked message Stow-Ortiz shared a video of a torchlit Nazi march and said Patriot Front should emulate it. There can be no doubt that Stow-Ortiz is a white supremacist, anti-semite, and fascist.

Despite overwhelming calls from the community to remove this white supremacist from our campus, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Angela Chong made it clear in an email obtained by Our Tallahassee that FSU would once again allow fascists to remain on campus. The email to a concerned citizen says FSU is unaware of any “actionable activity or offenses” and that “FSU prides itself on protecting freedom of expression and speech.” The email falsely claims that the safety of students, faculty, and staff is FSU’s foremost priority. The FSU and Tallahassee community have made it very clear: Calvin Stow-Ortiz presents a threat to the safety of all marginalized groups in Tallahassee.

In October 2021 Patriot Front held a retreat in Tallahassee at Williams Landing Park. In attendance were members from out of state and all around Florida. At this retreat they practiced marching like Nazis and pathetically attempted to train in hand to hand combat. SDS condemns FSU’s inaction in the face of racism and hate in our community and on our campus. SDS demands the immediate expulsion of Calvin-Stow Ortiz from FSU. SDS calls on all progressive student organizations to join us in opposition to Nazis on campus. FSU claims to care about diversity and inclusion, yet have shown time and time again that this is a lie. FSU honored the legacy of slave owner Frances Eppes for decades, so it comes as no surprise that racists like Stow-Ortiz feel that they can spread hate in our community. No white supremacists on our campus!

#TallahasseeFL #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #Nazis #Antifascism