GAINESVILLE, FLA. (VINnews) – The University of Florida is deactivating its campus College Republicans chapter as a registered student organization after reports that some members engaged in antisemitic behavior.

University officials said they were notified by the Florida Federation of College Republicans that the federation had disbanded the Gainesville chapter. The decision followed a determination that certain members had “engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture,” according to a UF statement released over the weekend.

The gesture reportedly involved a photo showing a student leader performing a Nazi salute, as detailed in local reporting.

UF officials indicated that the university will assist in reactivating the chapter under new student leadership once the Florida Federation of College Republicans is prepared to move forward.

The action at UF marks the second instance this month in which a public university in Florida has addressed alleged racist or antisemitic behavior involving a Republican-affiliated student group.

Earlier in March, Florida International University in Miami launched an investigation into a leaked group chat initiated by an official with the Miami-Dade chapter of the Republican Party. The chat, which included students and several prominent conservative figures at FIU, contained violently racist slurs, antisemitic remarks and misogynistic language.

In a separate case last fall, New York’s Republican State Committee suspended the statewide Young Republicans organization after a group chat surfaced featuring jokes about rape and casual references to gas chambers.

The UF College Republicans chapter has disputed aspects of the allegations and the federation’s authority, with some reports indicating the group has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a violation of its First Amendment rights. University officials have maintained that the deactivation aligns with the federation’s request and campus policies for registered student groups.