President Joe Biden condemned pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country that have turned violent and resulted in the destruction of property.
“In America, violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is,” Biden said. “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. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law.”
Biden also said that antisemitism and threats of violence against Jewish students, is un-American.
“There should be no place in any campus, no place in America, for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students,” Biden said. “There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s antisemitism, 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 un-American.”
Biden also criticized “those who rush in to score political points” from the protests, saying that “this isn’t a moment for politics, it’s a moment for clarity.”
