The White House pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) demand that President Biden call the National Guard to college campuses amid mass protests over the Israel-Hamas war on Thursday.
Johnson visited Columbia University on Wednesday, the first of large pro-Palestinian protests that have spread to dozens of college campuses across the country, and said Biden should call in the National Guard to quell peaceful demonstrations.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the issue is not up to the president.
“That’s something for governors to decide,” she told reporters, noting that Biden had previously criticized the protests as anti-Semitic.
Johnson went a step further on Wednesday, calling the protests “dangerous.”
“If this is not contained quickly and these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” he said.
Protests by students and faculty called on the Biden administration to support a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and to stop providing military aid to Israel, and called for its universities to divest from Israeli interests.
Hundreds of students and faculty have been arrested across the country, while some universities are calling on local and state police to violently disperse demonstrations.
Six months since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, most Democrats say they believe the US should limit military aid to Israel, according to polls, citing concerns about mass civilian casualties in Gaza and accusations of crimes. of war.
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