With a video in which he says: “Good night. I’m at FIU”, Lexter Savio, a doctoral student at Florida International University (FIU), called attention to a first meeting of the “FIU Marxist Revolutionary Student Group”, which has sparked controversy on social networks.
“Students have the right to think as they want, to meet, and that is the greatness of this country. But they themselves understand that fascist groups cannot be allowed in the university; however, as a Cuban, I know everything Cuba has suffered, a victim of communism, I understand that this type of group behaves exactly like fascists,” said Lexter Savio.
On the other hand, the constitutional lawyer, Joseph Malouf, warns that “everyone has the freedom to express themselves freely” and that is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the lawyer maintains.
But Lexter Savio worries that “they are propagandizing Marxist ideas and calling for revolution.”
And indeed, the poster states that due to “the rising cost of living, low wages, police brutality, worsening conditions for the masses, there is an urgent need for a revolution… that politicians will not make changes in the interest of the people and that you have to take the future into your own hands”.
The constitutional lawyer explains that “the word ‘revolution’ can be interpreted in different ways; it can be a revolution because now young people are going to vote. The problem is if when we talk about revolution we are talking about trying to do something against the government.”
The United States Code, which groups general and permanent laws of the country, provides for fines and up to 20 years in prison for anyone who defends, instigates, and advises the need to destroy the government by force and violence; also to those who print or distribute material for this purpose and to those who organize or affiliate with groups that seek to overthrow the government with violence.
“The words on the poster do not reach that level, but obviously that is the concern, that these meetings try to recruit people to commit acts of violence,” admits lawyer Joseph Malouf.
Lexter Savio, a doctoral student at FIU, says that “if the bases of these groups violate fundamental rights, such as private property or freedom of expression, then they should be reviewed.”
While the lawyer points out: “I think that the universities have to take a little interest in who gets to speak or meet there to make sure that nothing is going to be illegal.”
