PRESIDENT Joe Biden supports freedom of expression on United States (US) campuses, the White House said on Wednesday, as a growing number of students protested Israel’s war on Gaza.
The ongoing protests at Columbia University in New York have sparked huge attention from the media and politicians – and similar demonstrations are taking place across the country.
The protesters said they were expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where the death toll reached 34,200, according to the Hamas government’s Health Ministry.
But pro-Israel advocates and others concerned regarding campus safety have pointed to anti-Semitic incidents. They argue the campus encourages intimidation and hate speech.
“The president believes that freedom of speech, debate and non-discrimination on campus are important,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing.
“We believe that everyone can express themselves in a peaceful way. But when we talk regarding hateful rhetoric, when we talk regarding violence, we have to stop it.”
Also read: Joe Biden Reveals Benjamin Netanyahu’s Ulcers and Urges Israel to Agree to a Ceasefire
Biden on Sunday denounced “blatant anti-Semitism” that has “no place on college campuses.”
Meanwhile at Columbia, Republican House speaker Mike Johnson denounced the “virus of anti-Semitism,” and called on the university’s president to resign.
“If this is not addressed immediately, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, this is the time for the National Guard,” Johnson said.
Also read: Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Joe Biden’s criticism of Israel’s war policy in Gaza
In a notable incident in 1970, the National Guard at Kent State University in Ohio opened fire on students during an anti-Vietnam War protest, killing four.
As pro-Palestinian protests spread, hundreds of demonstrators at the University of Texas came into standoff with state troopers, while elsewhere, riot police pushed back protesters, according to videos on social media.
Amid growing anger over the death toll in Gaza – especially among America’s younger generation – Washington has gone out of its way to support Israel as Biden seeks re-election in November.
The White House on Wednesday demanded “answers” from Israeli authorities following mass graves were discovered in Gaza – while President Joe Biden on the same day also approved billions of dollars in military aid to his key Middle East ally. (AFP/Z-3)
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