Florida bill to criminalize protest and dissent must be opposed

Tallahassee, Fla. — On the same afternoon a violent mob stormed into the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. armed with zip ties, pipe bombs, and other assault weapons, two Republican  Florida lawmakers filed companion bills (House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 484) that, if passed, would enact Governor Ron DeSantis’ priority legislation seeking to limit First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. Under this bill, police could arrest protesters for blocking traffic even if that wasn’t their intent, and arrest protesters when violence occurs at a rally even when those individuals have not engaged in violence. 
 
The legislation would also enhance criminal penalties for offenses already codified by law, eliminate bail for people arrested while protesting during their first court appearance, and result in a loss of local control over municipal budgets by allowing state officials to overrule local municipalities that seek to cut funding for law enforcement. 
 
The following is a statement from Carrie Boyd, policy counsel for the SPLC Action Fund. 
 
“The terrorist actions of a mob of white nationalists who are responsible for the deaths of five people cannot be compared with the peaceful protests of largely Black and Brown protestors over the last several months who simply want their civil rights upheld as mandated by the Constitution. While this bill has been modified from the initial version released last fall, it is still an over-militarized attempt to quash free speech and continue to deny equal justice under Florida law. 
 
“Moreover, it would grossly undermine local authorities and allow the governor and his cabinet to take control over municipal matters as they deem fit. Florida’s criminal code is already more than equipped to respond to violent mob actions like what our nation—and the world—witnessed in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Any notion that the intent of this bill is to protect public safety is completely absurd.”