Joe Biden has faced criticism from all sides of the political spectrum over the protests. (File)
Washington:
President Joe Biden broke his virtual silence Thursday on the nationwide Gaza campus protests, saying the United States was not authoritarian but insisting that “order must prevail.”
In a televised speech from the White House, Biden added that there is “no place” for anti-Semitism on college campuses, which have been roiled by pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The 81-year-old Democrat – whose re-election bid in November faces a challenge from voters who oppose the war – said there needs to be a balance between the right to peaceful protest and the need to prevent violence.
“We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or suppress dissent,” Biden said from the podium in the White House’s Roosevelt Room.
“But we are also not a lawless country,” Biden added. “We are a civil society and order must prevail.”
The US president also said that the protests could not disrupt classes and graduations for thousands of students on campuses across the United States.
Biden has faced criticism from all sides of the political spectrum over the protests, several of which have been suppressed by police in recent days, with dozens of people arrested.
Republicans have accused him of being soft on what they see as anti-Semitic sentiment among protesters, while facing widespread opposition in his own party for his strong support for Israel’s deadly military offensive.
“There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for anti-Semitism or threats of violence against Jewish students,” Biden added.
“There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, be it anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans,” he said.
“It’s just wrong.”
His comments came after Israel’s president said on Thursday that US universities consumed by campus protests were “contaminated by hatred and anti-Semitism.”
Following his comments, Biden said “no” when asked whether the US National Guard should intervene to disperse the demonstrations.
He also said “no” on whether the protests would change his policy of strongly supporting the Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attacks on Israel.
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