The News
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the weeks-long pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country haven’t changed his policy stance on Israel and Gaza.
In his strongest direct remarks yet on the escalating unrest across universities, Biden criticized some of the protests as “not peaceful,” saying that they had disrupted classes and upcoming graduation ceremonies, and that vandalizing, trespassing, and occupying campus buildings wasn’t considered free speech.
“Violent protest in America is not protected. Peaceful protest is,” Biden said at the White House.
Biden did not name specific colleges or universities where protests have taken place, but his remarks came the day after police said they arrested nearly 300 protesters at Columbia University and the City College of New York and cleared pro-Palestine encampments from Columbia’s lawn. The night before, protesters had broken into a university building at Columbia and had barricaded themselves inside.
Biden emphasized that he will “always defend free speech.”
“We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent.” He also said he would not call in the National Guard to shut down the campus protests.
SIGNALS
Biden’s remarks illustrate his ‘no-win’ situation
Biden’s Thursday address marks his strongest direct comments yet on the student protests. The president had largely avoided talking about the escalating unrest, using White House officials and statements to get his message out. “The approach underscores the no-win situation Biden faces,” USA Today wrote: Condemning the protesters risks alienating younger voters, while defending them feeds the Republican narrative that he is weak on law and order and ill-suited to manage domestic and global turmoil. Biden’s comments seemed designed to address the law-and-order issue. He condemned violence and hate speech, while reiterating his support for peaceful demonstrations. “I will always defend free speech,” he said. “And I will always be just as strong standing up for the rule of law.”
The student movement is spreading across the world — except in Arab countries
Universities in France, Canada, the Middle East, the UK, and Australia have also seen protests and encampments spring up in solidarity with Palestinians and US student protesters. Some protesters said they were directly inspired by the US protests. But others, including a student in Lebanon, said “American students were inspired by us.” While students in some Arab countries have organized protests, some Palestinians have questioned why there aren’t more large-scale movements in countries they consider allies. American students may face expulsions from their universities, but “harsher consequences could await Arab citizens protesting without state authorization,” Reuters wrote.
Critics say US antisemitism bill is ‘misguided’
The US House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday, which critics argue could silence criticism of Israel. The bill would allow the federal government to withhold funding and other resources from schools perceived as tolerating antisemitism, which it defines as “a certain perception of Jews which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Jewish lawmaker who has co-sponsored legislation aimed at combating antisemitism, called the bill “misguided,” saying universities “could end up suppressing protected speech criticizing Israel or supporting Palestinians” to avoid federal investigation. Proponents of the bill including New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres argued that was a “false narrative.” Torres said students can still criticize Israel, so long as they don’t call for “the destruction of Israel itself.”