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When they passed sweeping legislation designed to punish protesters at Donald Trump rallies with criminal charges, Republican lawmakers in Florida never intended to prosecute football fans who rushed a field after a game.
But that’s exactly what happened to four excited fans who ran on the field after the University of Florida’s victory against the University of Texas at Austin earlier this month, according to Fresh Take Florida.
Two university students and two other fans appear to be the first to face felony charges under a recently enacted state law that treats crossing police lines at large events the same as aggravated assault, bribery, drug possession or child abuse.
The law, which was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this year, was “specifically intended” to ensure anti-Trump protesters who showed up to his rallies and the president’s appearances in the state faced harsher penalties, according to the bill’s own author.
The measure, and the apparently unintended consequences, follow a series of actions under the DeSantis administration to punish dissent, from criminal penalties under a sweeping “anti-riot” law to letting drivers hit protesters with their cars if they feel threatened.
The law joins a recent wave of anti-protest bills across the country that tack on criminal charges for what would otherwise be constitutionally protected protests, or ramp up charges from misdemeanors to felonies, in an apparent effort to stifle dissent that has only escalated with Trump’s presidency.
Dozens of bills in nearly half of all states were introduced after Trump took office earlier this year, according to a legislation tracker from the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.
Several federal measures introduced by members of Congress threaten massive fines and prison sentences over demonstrations on college campuses and other anti-war and climate protests.
The Trump administration is separately zeroing in on “antifa” as White House officials brainstorm law enforcement actions against left-wing dissent and deploy federal investigators to probe left-leaning donor networks supporting Democratic campaigns and causes.
Florida’s anti-protest laws have also faced civil rights lawsuits accusing the state of threatening to chill protesters’ First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble.
The latest Florida law — initially written in response to the 2024 Copa America international soccer match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, where thousands of fans without tickets rushed past security — bans anyone from entering an area roped off by law enforcement with more than 5,000 attendees, including any ticketed sports or entertainment events.
Those rules also apply to Trump rallies.
People convicted under the law could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
During debate on the bill earlier this year, its sponsors dismissed the idea that students who rush the field after a win are not the intended targets.
“So, just to be crystal clear, if somebody goes onto the field, they won’t be charged with a felony?” Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters asked during a state Senate Criminal Justice Committee in March, Fresh Take Florida reported.
“That’s not the intent, and they can quote me in the case law if that becomes an issue,” the bill’s author, state Rep. Jonathan Martin, said.
“This is specifically intended to address the Secret Service efforts to keep our president safe while he’s in the state of Florida,” he added. “Currently people who are trespassing at those events or locations where the president is located are only committing a misdemeanor. This keeps happening very frequently.”
The bill unanimously passed in the state House. Two Democratic state senators voted against it.
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