Laura Rodriguez, a junior at the University of South Florida and member of Students for a Democratic Society, was on her way from class to attend a protest Tuesday when she saw someone being arrested.

Five people, students and former students, were detained outside the Marshall Student Center on charges of trespassing and served notices to appear after being told to disperse, according to the University Police Department.

They were there for a rally calling attention to the climate for free speech on college campuses in Florida. Participants were protesting state legislation that proposes increased penalties for protesters who block traffic or participate in “disorderly assemblies.”

Meanwhile, she said, the university allowed campus demonstrations from Kaitlin Bennett, a controversial online figure and gun rights activist who roused a crowd on campus last fall, and a group of extremist preachers a few weeks ago.
“It’s clear hypocrisy,” Cook said.