(LibertySociety.com) – The president of America’s largest teachers’ union, the American Federation of Teachers, was called out for her claim about Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. According to Fox News, she received a fact-check for saying he arrested his political opponents. Randi Weingarten quote-tweeted a Twitter post from the Florida Planned Parenthood Action Twitter account, stating “Now DeSantis is arresting his opponents.”
The Planned Parenthood post referred to a group of pro-choice protesters who got arrested near the Florida Capitol. Twitter readers later added context to the post, offering a link that explained that protesters were only arrested after being told that they would have to leave after sundown by the City of Tallahassee. The city government stated in a press release that the protesters had been told several times the day of the consequences of staying after they had been permitted, with 11 people failing to follow the order.
Nikki Fried, who is currently the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the state of Florida, along with Florida Democrat state senator Lauren Book, were among those who were arrested for refusing to follow the orders of the city government. A Community Notes attachment was added to Weingarten’s quote tweet, providing a bit more information to supplement the post.
Weingarten has recently taken it upon herself to become more of a political advocate for left-leaning causes. Notably, in February, 2023, she raised her voice during a speech outside SCOTUS over student debt cancellation. In March, she was criticized by opponents for her tweet directed at Governor DeSantis regarding access to guns, allegedly defunding public schools, and supposedly banning everything he opposes. Twitter users were quick to push back against her post, with one user asking why she was “always commenting on everything.” Weingarten also made a trip to Ukraine to offer solidarity for refugees in October 2022. While some praised her for her support, others blasted her for going to another country while US schools were in need.
Copyright 2023, LibertySociety.com
