Biden breaks silence on college protests over Gaza conflict

Under mounting political pressure, US President Joe Biden broke his silence on campus unrest over the war in Gaza on Thursday (2 May), saying Americans have the right to demonstrate but not to unleash violence.

“There is a right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos,” Biden said in remarks at the White House.

With television images of campus unrest that have swept the country in recent days playing out on news networks, Biden has faced criticism of his handling of the situation. He had been leaving it largely up to his spokespersons to comment.

The Democratic president, seeking re-election in November, has walked a careful line of denouncing antisemitism while supporting young Americans’ right to protest and trying to limit longer-term political damage.

Biden said both sides had a point, that peaceful dissent was critical to a democracy but that violence would not be tolerated.

“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancelling of classes and graduations -none of this is a peaceful protest,” he said.

Biden said the United States was not an authoritarian nation that silences critics but that “order must prevail.”

“Dissent is essential to democracy but dissent must never lead to disorder or denying the rights of others so students can’t finish the semester and college education,” he said.

Biden, asked whether state governors should call in National Guard troops to restore order if necessary, replied “no.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Biden said the campus protests had not forced him to reconsider his policies in the Middle East.

Student protesters are calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government.

Fresh chaos

Police forcibly removed scores of defiant pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges on Thursday, including taking down an encampment at UCLA in a jarring scene that underscored the heightened chaos that has erupted at universities this week.

In the pre-dawn hours, helmeted police swarmed a tent city set up at the University of California in Los Angeles, using flash bangs and riot gear to push through lines of protesters who linked arms in a futile attempt to halt their advance.

Los Angeles police said on social media that 210 people were arrested at UCLA, and hundreds of arrests were made at other universities overnight and on Thursday.

Many of the schools, including Columbia University in New York City, have called in police to quell the protests.

Violence on campus

At UCLA, police repeatedly urged demonstrators to clear the protest zone, which occupied a central plaza about the size of a football field, before they moved in.

Dozens of loud explosions were heard from stun grenades, fired by police, while demonstrators, some carrying makeshift shields and umbrellas, chanted “push them back” and flashed bright lights in officers’ eyes.

Live TV footage showed officers taking down tents and tearing apart makeshift barricades.

Some of the protesters had been seen donning hard hats, goggles and respirator masks in anticipation of the siege a day after the university declared the encampment unlawful.

By morning, the plaza was strewn with detritus from the destroyed encampment: tents, blankets, food containers, a Palestinian flag, an upturned helmet. Police remained on hand during the first half of the day as the area was cleaned of debris.

In Portland, Oregon, police entered the Portland State University library on Thursday morning, where demonstrators had barricaded themselves since Monday. Several dozen protesters ran out of the building and rushed into a phalanx of officers in riot gear, who arrested them.

Police made more arrests at the library on Thursday night as demonstrators attempted to retake it. A university spokesperson said it was a “very fluid situation.”

In New Hampshire, police arrested approximately 100 protesters in separate incidents at Dartmouth University and the University of New Hampshire overnight, breaking up encampments.

The campus demonstrations have been met with counter-protesters accusing them of fomenting anti-Jewish hatred. The pro-Palestinian side, including some Jews opposed to Israeli actions in Gaza, say they are being unfairly branded as antisemitic for criticizing Israel’s government and expressing support for human rights.

(Edited by Georgi Gotev)

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