President Joe Biden on May 2 decried the violence stemming from pro-Palestinian protesters across American college campuses.
“Violent protest is not protected,” he said in an unscheduled speech from the White House, affirming his dedication to both the right to free speech and peaceful protests and the rule of law, noting that America is not a lawless country.
“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.
“Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law.”
The remarks are the first time the president has spoken out on the issue since the protests escalated over the past few days.
Dissent is “essential to democracy,” he said, but that dissent should not lead to chaos.
When asked by a reporter if he thinks the National Guard should intervene, President Biden said: “No.”
He also took a moment to speak out against anti-Semitism, as well as Islamophobia.
“There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for anti-Semitism or threats of violence against Jewish students,” President Biden said.
“There is no place for hate speech, or violence of any kind, whether it’s anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans.
“It’s simply wrong. There’s no place for racism in America. It’s all wrong. It’s not American.”
The president’s statement comes after pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the country turned violent and warranted responses from law enforcement.
The past three days alone have seen several interventions by universities and local and state law enforcement to disperse protests nationwide.
Protesters refused to leave, and more than 130 were arrested.
The university also said students involved could face disciplinary measures such as interim suspension and, after going through the student conduct process, dismissal.
However, the LAPD’s response comes after the encampment clashed with pro-Israel counter-protesters on April 30, sparking a response from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The limited and delayed campus law enforcement response at UCLA last night was unacceptable—and it demands answers,” he stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, on May 1.
In response to the protest, USC decided to cancel its mainstage graduation ceremony.
“People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk across the campus safely without fear of being attacked,” President Biden said in his May 2 remarks.
His remarks also come the day after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced several questions from reporters regarding the president’s official position on the recent violence.
Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters on May 1 that President Biden and his team are “monitoring the situation closely.”
When asked why he remained silent after the recent violence, she reiterated the president’s record of fighting anti-Semitism as proof of his pre-established position.
“What we believe—and we’re very clear on this—is that peacefully protesting within the law is something that every American should have the right to do,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
“We’re also going to call out any type of anti-Semitism that we are hearing, that we are seeing.”
At the time, Ms. Jean-Pierre said she could not speak to either issue, and both topics were absent from President Biden’s May 2 remarks.
