Dozens injured after stampede at University of Florida vigil for Israel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Dozens of students were trampled earlier this week during a candlelight vigil supporting Israel at the University of Florida after a woman fainted at the event.

Some 30 people were reported injured in the Monday night stampede, which university officials say was triggered by “misunderstanding and panic” when campus police officers responded to the woman having a medical issue at the demonstration.

“This appears to be a misinterpretation by event participants who were already in a heightened state of alert, given the circumstances surrounding the vigil,” Linda J. Stump-Kurnick, University of Florida’s police chief, said in a statement Tuesday.

The scene at Florida’s flagship university in Gainesville illustrates how the fighting in Israel is reverberating in the U.S. and putting people on edge, particularly on college campuses. Far-left students across the country have been vocally pushing pro-Palestinian support after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel over the weekend. Their support for Palestinians has caused major rifts between students and administrators at some of the nation’s most prestigious schools.

University of Florida campus police believe there was “no foul play or malicious intent” at the root of the Monday incident after investigating reports of a “loud sound” that was unable to be confirmed. About 30 people were hurt at the “unity with Israel” event and treated by first responders or at a nearby hospital, the local Gainesville Sun reported. Police initially stated that "at least five people" were hurt.

Students told reporters they feared the worst — a terrorist attack — when the crowd started to panic amid the medical emergency. In the aftermath, the street was littered with clothes, shoes and peoples’ belongings and the hospitals were crowded with injured demonstrators, according to reports.

Jewish groups at UF who put on the vigil reported that “everyone is safe” after the event “with the exception of minor injuries.”

“It was a moving and beautiful evening,” leaders of Chabad UF and Hillel UF said in a combined statement.

University of Florida president Ben Sasse, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, spoke at the vigil before the stampede broke out, telling students that the night was an “opportunity for our community to condemn Hamas' terrorism and stand by our Jewish Gators.”

“Hamas’ terror attacks are heinous and deserve the condemnation of civilized people around the world,” Sasse said in remarks at the vigil.

UF campus police are expected to have an "increased visible presence" on campus over the next few days, according to the agency.