Randy Fine, the lone Jewish Republican in the Florida legislature, has heavily criticised Florida’s governor and ex-Republican presidential nominee Ron DeSantis, for his recent trip to Ireland. According to Fine, this country supports Muslim terrorism and presents anti-Semitic views.
However, DeSantis visited Ireland to participate in the American college football match which happened between Florida State University and Georgia Tech at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Fine expressed not only his disagreement with people attending, but also his outrage about the fact that the game wasn’t cancelled. He voiced his opinion that a country that backs Muslim terrorists whose professed intention is to murder Jews should be deemed anti-Semitic.
The brunt of Fine’s criticism was targeted on DeSantis, whom he rebuked for his trip to Ireland. DeSantis defensively responded to him saying, “I’d like to question if Rep Fine will refrain from accepting money from all the lobbyists as he’s been doing? I’m eager to hear his response to that.”
A heated discourse has been ongoing between DeSantis and Fine since the governor returned from his Irish trip. Fine has been forthright about his perspective on countries that have expressed support for Palestine. Notably, after Ireland acknowledged Palestine as a country earlier this year, Fine hinted at limiting access to business opportunities available in Florida.
“If you’re a backer of Muslim terrorism in Florida, you’ll be dealt with as if you’re a Muslim terrorist yourself,” was a strong assertion made recently. There is an upcoming proposed legislation that he plans to introduce. This proposal is aimed at adding any nation which accepts ‘Palestine’ to the Florida’s scrutinised countries list under intense restrictions affecting these countries’ interactions with Florida.
“Spain, Ireland, and Norway are set to join this listing alongside nations like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Syria,” he added, advising everyone to conduct themselves accordingly. When The Irish Times put forth that the Irish citizens’ perspective of their government’s position might be more refined than he suggests, he simply responded: “They’re mistaken.”
This week, the ongoing tussle between Mr. Fine and Florida’s governor expands, following an appeal by Mr. Fine for an examination into the need for support staff. This came on the heels of public criticisms directed at him by three of the Governor’s staff members on social media.