Florida “Anti-Riot” Bill Signed Into Law, Criminalizing Protest

HB1/SB484 was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis this week, marking an unprecedented attack on First Amendment rights in Florida in the midst of the largest civil rights movement since the 1960s.

CS/HB 1: Combating Public Disorder was signed into law this week after passing through the Florida state legislature early on in the 2021 legislative session. The broad language of the bill, paired with the strong alliance between the Florida Republican Party and the state’s law enforcement officials, spells disaster for the First Amendment rights of the most marginalized Floridians. The are aspects of HB 1 which we’d expect no less from a Republican-dominated state legislature in the year 2021 (such as opposition to the Defund the Police movement and provisions protecting Confederate statues), but the bill also contains truly vile attacks on the right to peacefully organize.

It’s crucial to analyze the implications of this bill, especially in the closing days of the Derek Chauvin trial which activists worry may end with an acquittal for the accused murderer, likely sparking another wave of Black Lives Matter protests nationwide. What will this mean for peaceful demonstrations in…