Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law on April 27 addressing antisemitic hate crimes while he鈥檚 visiting Israel.
The bill, HB 269, has made it a felony to 鈥�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鈥�s property鈥� if these actions are based on racial or ethnic prejudice, according to . The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which provided legal advice on the bill, 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 鈥淵e Is Right,鈥� referencing antisemitism promulgated by rapper Kanye West.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� DeSantis during The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance鈥檚 Celebrating Faces conference in Jerusalem. 鈥淲e are fighting back.鈥�
State Representative Randy Fine (R) tweeted that the bill is 鈥渢he strongest antisemitism bill in the United States.鈥� 鈥�To Florida鈥檚 Nazi thugs, I have news: attack Jews on their property and you鈥檙e going to prison,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淣ever again means never again.鈥�
Made a secret trip to JERUSALEM (!!!) with to deliver HB 269, the strongest antisemitism bill in the United States. To Florida鈥檚 Nazi thugs, I have news: attack Jews on their property and you鈥檙e going to prison. Never again means never again.
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine)
Brandeis Center Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus said in a statement, 鈥�We are delighted Florida鈥檚 Governor today took strong action to address the alarming spike in anti-91传媒 hate crimes by signing Florida鈥檚 HB 269. Representatives Caruso and Fine should be congratulated for their leadership and the 91传媒 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.鈥�
Rabbi Moshe Matz, director of Agudath Israel鈥檚 Florida office, similarly said in a statement, 鈥�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.鈥�
During his speech, DeSantis argued that rejecting 鈥淚srael鈥檚 right to exist is antisemitism鈥� and said that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is 鈥�DOA鈥� in his state, per The Jerusalem Post. He also called 鈥�Iran鈥檚 pursuit of nuclear weapons鈥� an 鈥渆xistential threat to the state of Israel and to the United States of America,鈥� per
