President Biden finally broke his silence on the violent protests that have rocked college campuses across the country, condemning the demonstrators for their actions and calling for order to be restored.
“Violent protest is not protected,” Biden said in a speech on Thursday. “Peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism. Trespassing. Breaking windows. Shutting down campuses. Forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations. None of this is a peaceful protest.”
Biden’s comments came as the protests, which have been largely driven by anti-Israel sentiment, have escalated in recent weeks. At Columbia University in New York City, protesters have occupied an academic hall and called for the “intifada revolution,” a term that has been used to refer to the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
Jewish students across the country have reported feeling threatened and intimidated on their campuses. At UCLA, a Jewish student was blocked from entering the campus by protesters. And at the University of Chicago, protesters have called to “globalize the intifada.”
In his speech, Biden also condemned antisemitism, saying that “there should be no place on any campus, no place in America for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students.” He also said that Islamophobia has no place in America.
Biden’s comments were met with mixed reactions. Some praised him for his strong stance against violence, while others criticized him for not doing enough to address the underlying causes of the protests.
“President Biden is right to condemn the violence that has occurred on college campuses,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. “But he must also do more to address the root causes of this antisemitism, which include the spread of misinformation and hate speech online.”
“President Biden’s speech was a welcome step forward, but it is not enough,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. “He must now use his bully pulpit to call out the antisemitism and Islamophobia that is fueling these protests.”
The protests on college campuses are part of a larger wave of anti-Israel sentiment that has been growing in recent years. This sentiment has been fueled by the rise of social media, which has allowed anti-Israel groups to spread their message more easily.
The protests have also been fueled by the increasing polarization of American society. In recent years, the country has become more divided along political, social, and economic lines. This division has made it more difficult to have civil conversations about complex issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The protests on college campuses are a reminder of the deep divisions that exist in American society. They are also a reminder of the importance of free speech and the need to protect the rights of all Americans, regardless of their political or religious beliefs.
