WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday condemned the college protests happening across the country over the Israel-Hamas war.
In unscheduled remarks from the Roosevelt Room, Biden said the rule of law must be upheld as the protests continue to grow across the country.
“We’ve all seen images, and they put to the test two fundamental American principles,” he said. “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.”
The remarks are the first time the President has directly addressed the issue since his brief comments to reporters on April 22. At the time, he said he condemned both antisemitic actions and those who didn’t understand the difficult situation the Palestinians face in Gaza.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, held a rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday and slammed Biden, saying the President should speak out “because nobody knows where he is.”
Biden slammed Republicans for using the situation to score a political win.
“We’ve often faced moments like this because we are a big, diverse, free-thinking and freedom-loving nation,” Biden said on Thursday. “In moments like this, there are always those who rush in to score political points. But this isn’t a moment for politics. It’s a moment for clarity.”
Biden went on to call out those conducting vandalism, trespassing, forcing the cancellation of graduation or intimidating people.
“So, let me be clear. Violent protest is not protected, peaceful protest is,” he said. “It’s basically a matter of fairness. It’s a matter of what’s right. There is the right to protest but not the right to cause chaos.”
Before closing his remarks, the President added there is no place for violence or discrimination such as antisemitism, Islamophobia or discrimination against Arab Americans and Palestinian Americans.
