Does the United State of America have freedom of speech anymore? Florida student arrested for making joke in group chat. your thoughts?

[Still-alive]

So what happened here is a student in Florida made an off hand joke in a group chat about Netanhyahu and for that she was charged with a FELONY! not a misdemeanor... a Felony! Freedom of Speech? hellooooo! what is happening in our country?

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-student-arrested-for-jokingly-asking-benjamin-netanyahu-to-drop-bombs-on-her-college-11384602

US Student Arrested For Jokingly Asking Benjamin Netanyahu to "Drop Bombs" On Her College

A Florida university student was arrested Thursday after posting a message in a WhatsApp group chat that appeared to ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "drop bombs" on her college, media reported, citing police. The student told officers it was a joke, but authorities are treating the threat seriously under Florida's laws on school-related threats.

A Florida student was arrested and is now facing up to 15 years in jail for making a joke about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The student allegedly wrote, “Netanyahu, if you can hear me, drop some bonbons for us Capstone students in the Ocean Bank Convocation… pic.twitter.com/j7r8Lu5nsq

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) April 20, 2026

[purplepoppy]

Dropping bombs isn't a joke. Try walking through airport and saying you have a bomb, you won't get far.

We get exactly the same thing here in the UK when people post messages that their local mosque should be burned down. They always cry "free speech" or "it was a joke."

The problem is when bad things happen people always ask "this persons been threatening this stuff online, why did no one do anything?"

The worlds full of nutjobs in their minds posts like that help to justify their actions. America is the most dangerous violent place in the western world because there's no breaks on free speech.

[Still-alive]

"Dropping bombs isn't a joke."

in the context of in a group chat it is clearly a joke. like c'mon. so you're saying this girl student is a big threat to netanyahu?

and they want to charge a 'felony' for this? it's outrageous!

[purplepoppy]

If everyone is making jokes how do you spot the ones that aren't? Pretty much every mass shooting in America involves a nutjob who spent months posting stuff online. No doubt thousands of shootings were stopped before they happened because action was taken. Remember America is at war now so there will be people planning to blow up public buildings. Really the entire group plus their families should have been brought in for interrogation.

[Still-alive]

"Pretty much every mass shooting in America involves a nutjob who spent months posting stuff online"

by examining their post history. im betting she is NOT a loner nutjob who has spent too much time in white nationalist forums.

"No doubt thousands of shootings were stopped before they happened because action was taken."

we are talking in generalities here but im better the majority of those were 'actionable' threats. this girl making a joke about Netanyahu however is NOT. and its frankly laughable and an insult on peoples intelligence to suggest otherwise. it was clearly a joke. we all instinctively know it.

"Really the entire group plus their families should have been brought in for interrogation. "

man purplepoppy, you make the funniest posts on here but its clear you have your biases. No one in that group should be touched. we hold our 'freedom of speech' to be a sacred right many of us fought and died for, we give a single inch anywhere then its over for us.

i predict this girl is gonna be set free because as stated it was clearly a dumb off colored joke. they will probably search her post history and not find any history of her saying crazy shit.

[goaded]

@purplepoppy This is one of the few things I disagree with you on. If I say I hope Trump gets hit by lightning, I'm not threatening him. This woman didn't even mention a life threatening weapon - bonbons damage your teeth, they're unlikely to be fatal, and the "target" was her own college, not, say, the White House.

[purplepoppy]

Suggesting anywhere should be bombed is encouraging an act of terrorism against that place. There are some things you don't joke about, especially in the current climate when the authorities are on high alert. The police are well aware people joke online so there must have been the right number of keywords in her posts to trigger a response.

[Still-alive]

And im betting there wasn’t and this just yet another politically motivated arrest thats gonna be laughed out of court abd wasting everyone’s time and taxpayer dollars.

No this is just more of our rights being violated because we dare speak out against Netanyahu and his genocidal regime. He is our modern day hitler.

[Twalli]

Free speech is only restricted if the words result in actions. That's why Trump was charged with inciting an insurrection. His words lead to violent actions. This girl's words would not.

[Apulu_backagain]

I remember that judge from a short where she basically changes the life of a criminal who was her classmate in primary school. Didn't know she would do something like this.

And man, Daddy only got 4 years 😭 Lux only got 15 years with parole. What the heck is this.

[Still-alive]

yeah a few people on reddit pointed that out about the judge.

frankly its insulting and a waste of time and taxpayer dollars we are even entertaining these absurd charges. i hope she gets off and counter sues them!

[Twalli]

Technically it does, but the GOP likes to ignore it when it doesn't help them.

[goaded]

That is ridiculous. If that is a threat, what isn't?

[thegreenyogi]

They say it's free speech but is it truly free? I have my doubts.

[Still-alive]

Yeah the fight is looooong from over if we wanna keep and maintain our right here!