On Mar. 21, 2025, University of Florida Law student Preston Damsky posted an antisemitic message to X, using a Marxist professor’s desire to remove the inequality of privilege by “abolishing the White race” to justify harming Jews. After UF barred him from campus, Damsky filed a lawsuit, and US District Judge Allen Winsor ruled on Nov. 24, 2025 that his statements were protected, ordering that UF allow him back to class. Regardless of opinions on legal morality, this story represents a deeper societal crisis. Legal permission can never mean moral permission.
Damsky has a history of white-supremicist and antisemitic rhetoric. In Spring 2024, he wrote a paper for his law class arguing that the Constitution was only written for white individuals and that we should adapt laws to get rid of certain rights for non-white citizens. Despite its racist arguments, the paper earned a high grade, and Damsky was given the Book Award, an honor given to the individual with the highest grade in the class.
He appears to hold many controversial beliefs, like the establishment of a homogenous, white-only America, the reversal of rights for non-white individuals, and that Judaism and Zionism should be held suspect if not destroyed outright.
The very idea that America was white-only during its conception and therefore should remain that way is not only flawed, but also leads to the demonization of other minorities. Anti-Black and anti-immigrant racism are directly intertwined with antisemitism. Bolstering one will reinforce the others. While the Constitution was initially written for White, land-owning individuals, there is a reason its language is universal: because equality is the strongest weapon against tyranny. Blindly returning to originalist ideas misunderstands this and leads to overlapping systems of hate.
Personally, I believe that the Constitution is a living document and striking down rights from communities that helped us thrive will generate more harm than good. Extension of rights leads to greater civic engagement and more representation for Americans. Why should we roll back voting rights to communities who are the backbone of our economy? Additionally, if rights can be revoked based on race, they become privileges, not protections.
Damsky continues his eliminationist rhetoric by targeting Jews. Since his rise to infamy, he has posted countless antisemitic messages, often calling for the erasure of Jews. His posts are just some of many that are part of the upward trend in antisemitic incidents and are indicative of how entwined antisemitism is to racism.
These messages target a minority group that has helped America flourish while also facing immense violence around the world. Injustices like these are documented and its pipeline of words to violent action can be attributed to people like Damsky.
While Damsky’s speech is protected and school is a place for students to express and challenge ideas, we as the student body cannot allow his legal win to be interpreted as legitimizing his beliefs.
Preston, clearly you are capable of research that shows the folly of your beliefs. Despite simple research that disputes your comments, how could you believe that non-white individuals should not “immigrate and seek naturalization”? Reusing antisemitic libels to blame “the Jews” for the decline of the White American population, child rape, indoctrination only fuels hate that leads to mass murder. Research debunks these claims and I urge you to engage with them meaningfully.
The UF board must allow Damsky back on campus, but that does not mean the student body has to be silent. It is harmful to spew hate, as it has direct correlations to violence, but it is equally dangerous to stay silent in the face of it. We must challenge this hate through open conversations, being able to speak meaningfully without the risk of violence. We can also support targeted groups and build stronger connections on campus, creating a supportive network. It is perhaps most important to call out illogical speech when it is platformed and celebrate instances that remind UF why people like Damsky are wrong. By staying silent, we are contributing to the hate, bolstering people like Damsky.
Damsky claims that “the end is Jewish parasitism of our civilization.” I disagree. Our civilization ends when the tyranny our ancestors fought replaces equality ingrained in the documents we live by.
This article was originally published in the Times of Israel Blogs.
