On the 11th of April, pro-Gaza protesters showed up in force at Valencia College. With them was a woman the college fired for writing “Free Palestine” on a bulletin board.

The woman fired for writing “Free Palestine” first on the bulletin board’s post-it notes meant for commentary, then on a blank sheet of paper that replaced the post-it notes was the keynote speaker. She chewed out the college for violating her rights and supporting genocide, then warned that the free state of Gaza would outlive Valencia College.

Displeased with the protest, the college made some kind of call to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department that brought a half dozen cars and a dozen cars. They may have been dissatisified with the Florida State Police, who sent only three apparent carloads of cops. For all the cops, protesters still outnumbered them. The Orange County deputies didn’t stay long, it seems they were not impressed with having so many of them tied up by Valencia College whining again about peaceful protesters. False police reports are not unheard of during protests.

When I was covering HLS protests in DC, there were at least two proven false police reports filed: one claimed a peaceful residential protest was an armed home invasion, the other claimed “shots fired” at a peaceful office protest.