Written by Sophia Dragoo.
On the 14th of January at 3pm, the UCF Student Democratic Society held a rally in front of the student union, marching to Millican Hall and back. In the beginning of the rally, police were seen talking to the leader of the organization, asking questions about the route they would be taking and ensuring their right to a safe and peaceful protest.
After gathering in front of the student union, a group of students from the UCF Turning Point USA organization showed up with pro-ICE posters and an American flag. This group followed the protesters to Millican Hall and followed them back to the Student Union. During the rally in front of Millican Hall, there were multiple speakers, some of which were faculty.
However, at the end of the march, while one of the UCF SDS leaders was speaking, a pedestrian not involved in the rally walked over towards the Turning Point USA group, yelling and making vulgar hand gestures. This individual was turned away by one of the many cops monitoring the event. The leader that had been speaking encouraged the student not to engage, and the student left.
Once the protest had ended, one of the anti-protesters approached a group of students and they began to argue. This argument between him and another student lasted over ten minutes.
While this rally has happened before, this is the first protest Knight News has covered which saw conflicts such as this. The recent shooting in Minneapolis that happened barely a week ago has seemed to add more spark to an already controversial issue. Many students that argued with the anti-protesters, used the death of Renee Good, who was shot three times and killed by an ICE agent, as an example for their argument.
Eventually the argument between students ended, with seemingly no conclusion in sight, as the issue seems to drive students further apart, and further against each other.
