Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said drivers who hit protesters while trying to escape perceived threats will not face legal consequences in the state.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said drivers who hit protesters while trying to escape perceived threats will not face legal consequences in the state. Speaking on The Rubin Report, DeSantis said, “If you’re 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.” He added, “You have a right to defend yourself in Florida.”
The Republican governor criticized demonstrations that have blocked traffic in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago in protest of federal immigration policies. DeSantis, who is term-limited and lost the 2024 GOP presidential primary to Donald Trump, praised Florida law enforcement for dispersing such protests quickly. “You have no right to commandeer streets,” he said. “We have an absolutely zero tolerance policy for that.”