President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the right to protest but insisted that “order must prevail” at US universities where protests over the war in Gaza have broken out.
“Dissent is essential to democracy,” the president declared at the White House, “but dissent should never lead to disorder.”
He added that the protests have not caused him to rethink U.S. policy toward war, and that he opposes sending the National Guard to disperse protesters.
Biden broke days of silence on the protests, as Republicans try to use the issue against Democrats in this election year.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 2, 2024
Tensions have been increasing in several universities in the country, where protesters have refused to set up camps and the authorities have resorted to police operations to forcibly expel them, leading to clashes that have attracted the attention of politicians and the press. .
Previously, Biden condemned “the anti-Semitic protests” and “those who do not understand what is happening with the Palestinians.”
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden “is monitoring the situation closely” and that some protesters have crossed the line from free expression to conduct contrary to the law.
“Forcibly taking over a building,” like what protesters did at Columbia University in New York, “is not peaceful, it’s just not peaceful,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden has never been a big supporter of protests. His career in politics began as a county clerk at age 28, and he has always emphasized the importance of reaching consensus over inflexible militancy.
When campus protests over the Vietnam War broke out in 1968, Biden was studying law at Syracuse University.
“I’m not a big fan of military-style jackets and tie-dyed shirts,” Biden declared years later. “You know, that’s not me.”
Although the White House has criticized the protests and has refused to listen to protesters’ demands to cut support for Israel, Republicans blame Democrats for the disorder and have used it as a backdrop for their press conferences. .
“We need the president of the United States to stand up to the issue and say this is wrong,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said Tuesday. “What is happening now in universities is wrong.”
Johnson, along with members of his caucus, visited Columbia last week. Other Republican lawmakers argued with protesters as they spoke to reporters at George Washington University in Washington, DC on Wednesday.
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