Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Monday that would place tougher penalties on demonstrators who cause damage to property while protesting, according to reports.  

The law, which DeSantis called the “strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement measure in the country,” went into effect immediately. It would increase penalties to protesters who block roads or deface public monuments, according to NPR.  

The measure was in response to the massive protests around the country following George Floyd’s murder by former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin.  

Additionally, the law created a new crime called “mob intimidation” that would enhance penalties and make it difficult for local governments to reduce spending on law enforcement.  

Local officials would now be liable for lawsuits from people injured during a protest if it’s determined that they did not adequately respond to control a violent protest, NPR reported.  

“[This] tackles head-on this idea that we’ve seen last summer and then we still see today that there should be a movement to defund law enforcement,” he said.  

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Adding that “It’s an insane theory. It’s not going to be allowed ever to carry the day in the state of Florida.” 

Nikki Fried, the state’s agriculture commissioner and the only Democrat elected to a statewide office, blasted the law on a conference call with reporters on Monday, according to the Daytona Beach Journal.  

“Unfortunately, laws are not applied equally. And when law enforcement has complete discretion, as you saw on the insurrection at the (U.S.) Capitol, you see how laws can be applied differently depending on your background, depending on the color of your skin,” Fried said.