Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon stood with pro-Palestine protesters at UNF

Angie Nixon, a Democratic state representative from Jacksonville, speaks with reporters after the House overwhelmingly rejected her resolution advocating for de-escalation and a cease-fire in Israel and Gaza. (Credit: Jackie Llanos)Quality Journalism for Critical Times

For months, Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon has advocated for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. She has been labeled an antisemite for doing so, too. But on Tuesday she made an appearance at the pro-Palestine protest at the University of North Florida.

“I am so in awe of Generation Z because ya’ll are going to lead us to freedom,” she told the protesters, according to a video posted to social media by Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society, a group behind the demonstrations on that campus.

Nixon decided to join the students because she wanted to show them someone was on their side, she told Florida Phoenix in a phone interview.

“I wanted them to know that there are some elected officials that support them and also wanted them to know that they are on the right side of history,” Nixon said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to advocate against the killing of innocent people, and I wanted to encourage them and uplift them. You know, let them know that they’re doing the right thing. Even though they may not feel that way, and even though those in leadership who they should look toward may not say that.”

For weeks, demonstrations have erupted on college campuses across the nation, with protesters building encampments in solidarity with Gaza. In Florida, police have arrested protesters at Florida State University, University of Florida, University of South Florida, and now UNF, according to Spinnaker, a student-run newspaper.

Student protesters also face criticism from top leaders in the state, including Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor has called for the protesters to be expelled.

“The state of Florida is not New York, and so when you go out and try to commandeer property, when you try to set up encampments, you are not going to be allowed to do that in this state,” DeSantis said at the news conference in Hardee, in Central Florida, earlier this week. “And people have found that out at University of South Florida, Florida, Florida State. So just understand that that’s the way it’s going to go. We do not allow the inmates to run the asylum in the state of Florida, and if you can’t abide by the rules that we have in place for conduct, then we will show you the door, and you will be expelled. It is that simple.”

According to student reporters with Spinnaker, police arrested pro-Palestine protesters at UNF Thursday night after they did not obey a newly announced 10 p.m. curfew.

In November, Nixon faced intense backlash from state legislators, even those in her party, after calling for a resolution demanding a cease-fire in the conflict that erupted after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with voicing criticism against the way in which Israel is handling what happened due to Hamas,” she said on the phone interview Friday. “Yes, we want to ensure that all of the hostages are released and that the folks of Hamas are brought to justice, those who had anything to do with you know what took place. But also, we can’t just go around harming people who didn’t have anything to do with it.”

She continued: “I’ll continue to advocate for innocent people, and I don’t share if folks harass me, or try to troll me, or call me in terrorist. I can sleep good at night.”

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