U.S. President Joe Biden finally broke his silence on campus unrest over the fighting in Gaza on Thursday. He said Americans have the right to demonstrate but not to unleash violence.
“There is a right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos,” said the US President.
In recent days, television images of campus unrest have swept the country. Biden faced criticism of his handling of the situation. The US President had been leaving it largely up to his spokespersons to comment.
The Democratic president has walked a careful line of denouncing antisemitism while supporting young Americans’ right to protest and trying to confine longer-term political damage. He is seeking re-election in November.
He said both sides had a point, that peaceful protest was critical to democracy but that violence would not be accepted.
He further said that America was not an authoritarian nation that silences critics. However, “order must prevail”, he stressed.
In response to a reporter’s question, Biden said the campus demonstrations had not forced him to rethink his policies in the Middle East.
Student protesters are demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government.