Jacksonville, FL — On Nov. 20, University of North Florida (UNF) students took a stand against white supremacy, the KKK and neo-Nazis on their campus. Students came out at 8:30 a.m. on a cold Florida morning to demand that administration takes a stance against white supremacy on the UNF campus. The event was put on by UNF Students for a Democratic Society (UNF SDS) and others. Approximately 120 progressive student, alumni, faculty and community members gathered in front of Hicks Hall and marched to Alumni Hall where a conduct hearing for a neo-Nazi was being held.

The rally was in response to self-proclaimed Nazis planning a rally in support of a Nazi student who was having the conduct hearing. The student’s conduct hearing concerned gun threatens he made towards UNF SDS and UNF’s Black Student Union (BSU). This is the second major racist incident on campus this year.

The first major incident began in October when SDS held a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally and launched a multi-point plan in support of increased diversity on campus. A backwards student who was unable to disrupt the BLM rally in October posted a racist video to snapchat. Students demanded that university President John Delaney take a stance against racism on this campus. He failed to do more than slap the student on the wrist, which emboldened racists on campus.

This led more recently to the Nazi student boldly posting gun threats on social media directed at SDS and BSU. The Nazi student used to be a local leader of the KKK and is currently a member of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) – which is a Nazi organization that has nothing to do with socialism. The university suspended the Nazi student and planned a conduct hearing. In response, local Nazis called a rally in support of the neo-Nazi’s conduct hearing. Only four Nazis showed up.

The UNF students chanted and marched to the hall holding an SDS banner and signs. The chants included “No Nazis, no KKK, no racist UNF,” “John Delaney do your job, get rid of these Nazi slobs,” and many more chants.

After arriving at the hall students rallied and spoke on a variety of topics, all focusing on fighting Nazis and organizing against racist attacks. Students spoke about their lived experiences on campus as parts of oppressed communities and oppressed nationalities. The students demanded that the Nazi be expelled from UNF for his violent threats against other students.

The rally brought out students, alumni, community members, military veterans and professors who stood united against white supremacy. Students called for a movement to counter white supremacist recruiting on campus to groups like the KKK. UNF SDS called for Delaney to not only expel the neo-Nazi on campus but to continue to push through their program to improve diversity on campus and increase opportunities for students of color.

Christina Kittle, a UNF alumni who came out to the event, had this to say: “We must oppose Nazism on our campus. These Nazis are not here to learn – that is a front they hide behind. They are here to infiltrate and recruit and they must be stopped.”

UNF students will continue to organize on campus for a better world free of racism and bigotry. SDS will continue to push a platform to include greater diversity on campus.

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