Nazi stickers, fliers on UCF campus fuel free-speech debate

ORLANDO, Fla. — When students on the campus of the University of Central Florida found swastika-emblazoned stickers and fliers this week, the backlash was immediate.

“To publish a hate group like that, I feel like a lot of these people maybe don’t even know what they are doing,” UCF student Ashley Peters said. “And if they do know what they are doing, it’s definitely evil.”

While disturbing to some students, the stickers and fliers do not necessarily constitute a crime, UCF police said. For now, authorities are treating the incidents as “criminal mischief,” which, according to Florida law focuses on the placement of material, not the content.

Student Sarah Krintz doesn’t like seeing anti-Semitic paraphernalia on her campus, but she doesn’t see its presence as criminal.

“I don’t approve of it, but (it's) freedom of speech,” she said.

One flier shows a gun with a swastika and the tag line, “Florida! Let’s kick it off! Join your local Nazis!” It points to a website that encourages students to interact with “fellow fascists.”

The whole thing is upsetting, Peters said.

“Think about what happened not even a hundred years ago,” she said.

The stickers and fliers were found at a newspaper stand on campus, and UCF representatives said they were also found on bulletin boards at two housing facilities. They have been removed.

UCF police urge students to contact them if they see any suspicious activity.

If the individuals posting and handing out the material turn out to be UCF students, they could face punishment from the Office of Student Conduct, the university said.

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