Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on a podcast this week that drivers in Florida who encounter protesters and feel threatened have a right to hit them with their cars.
“If you are driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety, and so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault for impinging on you,” DeSantis said on an episode of the Rubin Report podcast that aired on Wednesday night.
This comes as “No Kings” protests are planned Saturday across the nation, including South Florida, to counter what organizers say are President Donald Trump’s plans to feed his ego on what is also his 79th birthday and Flag Day. The demonstrations will take place during the military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincides with Trump’s birthday.
Protests are planned in cities across the country during President Donald Trump’s military parade. Here’s what you need to know.
Miami defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh has a concern about the governor’s messaging.
“You still have an obligation to watch where you are driving,” he told NBC6.
In 2021, the legislature passed the “Combatting Public Disorder” law in response to the Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It enhances Florida laws and penalties for protesters who engage in any type of violence.
Eiglarsh said a driver hitting a protester would fall under the state’s “stand your ground” law.
“The right to use deadly force in Florida only occurs when you reasonably fear death or great bodily harm; you don’t get free rein to hit protesters just because they are around your vehicle,” he said.
DeSantis has been outspoken against recent protests over increased immigration raids in California, calling out state officials’ – especially Gov. Gavin Newsom’s – handling of the demonstrations.
“You don’t have to sit there and just be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets, you have a right to defend yourself in Florida,” DeSantis said on the podcast Wednesday.
The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
Organizers insist violence is not part of the plan.
“If we are encountered with pro-Trump antagonists, we have de-escalators that will attempt to separate and not pay attention to these escalators,” said Michelle Sylvester of the Palm Beach Indivisibles.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
