ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — UCF police are preparing for the possibility of hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathering outside of the school’s graduation ceremony Saturday afternoon.
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A coalition of six student groups put out a call to action on Instagram, asking supporters to show up to the lawn outside Addition Financial Arena mid-afternoon, while the afternoon proceedings are underway.
“NO BUSINESS AS USUAL DURING GENOCIDE,” the post by UCF Divest Coalition said.
The groups have caught the attention of law enforcement, which said in an intelligence briefing that up to several hundred participants are expected to show up between the morning and afternoon ceremonies.
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In the event it’s necessary, UCF’s police chief is preparing to make multiple arrests if the protesters escalate to criminal violations, the briefing said, and the jail has been alerted to streamline bookings.
It’s not clear what will materialize, if anything. UCF students have a history of protesting peacefully for issues ranging from cafeteria food quality to abortion, but even those happen less often – and at a smaller scale – than protests at universities in other major cities.
Although UCF can place reasonable time, place and method restrictions on campus protests, it likely does not have the authority to block protests on graduation day, attorney Lawrence Walters said.
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“You are separating the speaker from the audience. And there is no effective way to receive the message with such free speech zones,” he explained.
UCF responded to questions about the protests with a statement saying it was excited for graduation.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said it was also aware of the student groups’ plans.
“We will have resources at UCF tomorrow to help ensure people are safe, able to enjoy graduation and able to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights,” a spokesperson said.
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