Student demonstrators protest gun violence in Fla. gov’s office

Student protesters delivered a petition and chanted slogans in the office of Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Scott’s office confirmed to The Hill that protesters delivered a petition and demanded an audience with Scott, who was not in the office at the time. The protesters represented students calling for stricter gun control following the high school shooting in South Florida last week.

Upon learning Scott was elsewhere, the demonstrators chanted “shame on you” and “face us now” at the absent governor.

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Video captured by Fox News shows dozens of students swarming the governor’s office demanding a meeting. 

Scott’s office confirmed to The Hill that the governor on Wednesday attended a funeral for one of the 17 people killed in last Wednesday’s shooting, and plans to meet with groups of student protesters at 5 p.m. upon returning to his office.

Scott’s office said it had earlier in the day publicly posted the governor’s schedule, including the notice of meetings with students later in the day. MSNBC hosts Ali Velshi and Joy Reid had originally tweeted the students were “told [Scott was] too busy to meet with them.”

BREAKING: students are in the waiting area of FL Gov. Rick Scott’s office – after being told he’s too busy to meet with them – chanting “shame on you!”

— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) February 21, 2018

A gunman killed 17 and wounded more than a dozen others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week using an AR-15. Students barricaded themselves in classrooms and recorded their experiences on social media.

In the days following the attack, students from the school have become vocal activists against gun violence, calling out Florida lawmakers such as Scott and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) over their past opposition to gun control legislation.

Earlier this week dozens of students held a “lie-in” protest near the White House, lasting only a few minutes to represent the short amount of time it took for 19-year-old alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz to complete his killing rampage.