Biden Condemns Campus Unrest Over Israel-Hamas War: ‘None of This Is a Peaceful Protest’

TIME

In his first public remarks on this week’s campus protests, President Joe Biden criticized much of the unrest over the Israel-Hamas war erupting at colleges across the country, saying “none of this is a peaceful protest.”

Transcript

00:00Good morning. Before I head to North Carolina, I wanted to speak a few moments about what's

00:07going on on our college campuses here. We've all seen the images, and they put to the test

00:14two fundamental American principles. Excuse me. The first is the right to free speech

00:21and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the

00:26rule of law. Both must be upheld. We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence

00:33people or squash dissent. The American people are heard. In fact, peaceful protest is in

00:39the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues. But, but, neither

00:46are we a lawless country. We are a civil society. An order must prevail. Throughout our history,

00:54we've often faced moments like this because we are a big, diverse, free-thinking and

00:59freedom-loving nation. In moments like this, there are always those who rush in to score

01:05political points. But this isn't a moment for politics. It's a moment for clarity. So

01:11let me be clear. Peaceful protest in America. Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful

01:18protest is. It's against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful

01:24protest. It's against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down

01:30campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations, none of this is a peaceful

01:36protest. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful

01:42protest. It's against the law. Dissent is essential to democracy. But dissent must never

01:48lead to disorder or to denying the rights of others so students can finish the semester

01:53and their college education. There's the right to protest, but not the right to cause

01:58chaos. People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk

02:04across the campus safely without fear of being attacked. But let's be clear about this as

02:09well. There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for anti-Semitism or threats

02:17of violence against Jewish students. There is no place for hate speech or violence of

02:22any kind, whether it's anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab Americans or

02:28Palestinian Americans. It's simply wrong. There's no place for racism in America. It's

02:34all wrong. It's un-American. You know, make no mistake, as President, I will always defend

02:40free speech and I will always be just as strong in standing up for the rule of law. That's

02:45my responsibility to you, the American people, and my obligation to the Constitution. Thank

02:51you very much.

02:52Q. Mr. President, have the protests forced you to reconsider any of the policies with

02:58regard to the region?

02:59THE PRESIDENT. No. Thank you.

03:00Q. Mr. President, do you think the National Guard should intervene?

03:01THE PRESIDENT. No.

03:02Q. Mr. President, do you agree with what the students are calling for?

03:03THE PRESIDENT. No.

03:04Q. Mr. President, do you agree with what the students are calling for?

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Transcript

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