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Florida Democratic Party Chair Blasts Gov. DeSantis and Republicans for Criminalizing Peaceful Protest with HB 1
Today Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1 into law. This anti civil rights bill is extremely dangerous legislation that directly infringes on the rights of Floridians and will disproportionately harm Black and brown communities. In response, Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz released the following statement.
It’s a sad day in Florida. The Florida Republicans’ priorities are misaligned with this state and bad for Floridians. Their reckless disregard for opinions and expressions that are not like theirs shows their elite and oppressive tendencies. Criminalizing peaceful protest is unconstitutional and a violation of our civil rights. This won’t age well.
Background: This bill includes a host of draconian policies that would directly criminalize protest, here are just a few components.
- It makes protesting punishable by felony
- It makes pulling down or damaging a confederate statue punishable by up to 15 years in prison
- It denies protestors bail
- It insulates those who kill or injure protesters against civil lawsuits