Washington, DC [US], May 2 : US President Joe Biden on Thursday broke the silence on the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests in several universities across the nation, emphasising that both free speech and the rule of law must be upheld.
In his address from the Roosevelt Room, US President Biden highlighted two fundamental American principles.
"The first is the right to free speech and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld," Biden said.
He stated that the US is not an authoritarian nation, adding that here, people are heard and peaceful protest is in the best tradition.
"We are a civil society and order must prevail. We often face moments like this because we are big diverse, free-thinking and free to love nations," he stressed.
Marking a line between peaceful protests and violent protests, Biden clarified that destroying property, vandalism and trespassing are against the law and are not peaceful.
"Peaceful protest in America, violent protest is not protected, peaceful protest is. It's against the law if violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it's against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, cancellation of classes in graduation. None of this is a peaceful protest," he said.
Biden added that it is a matter of fairness, a matter of what's right. Right to protest but not the right to cause chaos.
Further condemning violence and hate speech, the US President said that there should be no place in any campus or America where anti-semitism, or threats of violence against Jewish students.
"There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind whether is anti-semitism, islamophobia or discrimination against...there is no place for racism in America," he said.
After Biden delivered his remarks, a reporter asked whether the protests had forced him to reconsider American policies toward the region.
To which, Biden responded, "No".
In the wake of ongoing Pro-Palestinian protests in several universities in the US, respective authorities have begun taking action against the protesting students and asked police to remove demonstrators from campuses.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University were arrested by New York Police Department (NYPD) officials, as they entered the premises on Tuesday night, according to The New York Times.
The protesters had stormed and occupied a building on Columbia University's main campus overnight, flying a Palestinian flag from Hamilton Hall.
The officers burst through a second-floor window to enter Hamilton Hall, then led demonstrators in zip ties into law enforcement buses parked near campus. In a statement, the university stated that the facility had been "vandalised and blockaded," leaving the administration with "no choice" except to summon police to campus for the second time in less than two weeks.
In Columbia University, which has turned into the epicentre of protests, at least 200 students barricaded the University's entrance to Hamilton Hall.
While these recent arrests have garnered significant attention, colleges across the US have been employing law enforcement measures, along with academic penalties such as suspensions and, in some cases, expulsion, to manage student protests since Hamas' October attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and numerous hostages.
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