Biden said the U.S. will not tolerate violence by pro-Palestinian protesters

The United States authorities will not tolerate the use of violence by participants in the pro-Palestinian protests currently taking place on the campuses of American universities. This was stated by US President Joe Biden, commenting in a brief address to his fellow citizens from the White House on the numerous protests on college campuses.

“Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is. When there is violence, it is illegal,” he said. “I recognize that Americans have strong feelings and deep convictions. We respect and protect their right to express those feelings. But that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Everything should happen without violence, without destruction, without hatred and within the law,” Biden emphasized.

He noted that he considers dissent an important element of democracy, but added that it should not lead to unrest or violation of other people’s rights. “There is a right to protest, but there is no right to wreak havoc,” the American leader said, recalling that students at universities where protests are held have the right to receive an education and move freely on campus. Biden added that there should be no place in the United States for anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and any discrimination against people of Jewish or Arab origin, as it is “un-American”.

At the same time, the head of the Washington administration said that he did not consider it necessary to involve the U.S. National Guard to restore order. The President also emphasized that the student protests will not affect the policy of his administration in the Middle East.

Mass actions in support of Palestine and against U.S. policy in the Middle East are currently taking place at U.S. universities. These are both peaceful sit-ins and clashes with police and pro-Israel activists. The protesters are demanding a halt to financial aid and arms supplies to Israel, which is conducting a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

According to US media, US police have already detained more than 1,500 people at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The wave of detentions on US campuses began on April 18, when Columbia University rector Minoush Shafiq asked the New York City police to help chase protesters away from the university campus. This decision led to the detention of more than 100 people at the Manhattan campus and sparked new waves of protests across the country.