Biden: Campus protests must be peaceful, not ‘create chaos’

Demonstrators lock arms on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES – Just hours after police cleared a massive pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, President Joe Biden addressed the topic of such campus protests, saying he supports peaceful activism, “but not the right to create chaos.”

“Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “It’s against the law when violence occurs.

Destroying property is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism. Trespassing. Breaking windows, Shutting down campuses. Forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations. None of this is a peaceful protest.”

Biden did not directly address the protests at UCLA or USC, but spoke in general terms about encampments that cropped up in recent weeks at many universities nationwide.

“There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for antisemitism, threats of violence against Jewish students,” Biden said.

“There is no place for hate speech, or violence of any kind, antisemitism, Islamophobia, discrimination against Arab-Americans or Palestinian-Americans. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place for racism in America. It’s all wrong. It’s un-American.”

He added, “There’s a right to protest, but not the right to create chaos.”

While leaving the briefing at the White House, reporters asked him if the demonstrations will persuade him to change his policy in the Middle East. He said, “No.”

He was also asked if he would send in the National Guard to address the protests on college campuses. He responded, “No.”

More than 200 people were arrested and law enforcement officers dismantled a pro-Palestine encampment early Thursday  morning at UCLA.

Led by the California Highway Patrol, officers advanced on the encampment around 2:45 a.m. — nearly nine hours after protesters had been ordered to disperse.

According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, a total of 209 people were arrested and booked, mostly for unlawful assembly. They were released with instructions to appear in court at a later date. (CNS)