Biden not to call National Guard over Gaza Genocide campus protests
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Biden was previously criticized for remaining tight-lipped on the situation before issuing these statements.
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President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Joe Biden on Thursday broke his silence on the recent wave of protests sweeping across college campuses in the US.
The turmoil, sparked by student protests against "Israel's" genocide of the people of Gaza and the US support for it, has led to clashes with police, mass arrests, and disruptions to campus activities.
"Order must prevail," he said in a televised address from the White House. "We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent.
When US President Biden was asked if the National Guard should intervene in the US universities protests answered: No.
Biden was previously criticized for remaining tight-lipped on the situation before issuing these statements.
Students in at least 40 university campuses are staging similar protests nationwide. Several students have reportedly been arrested in encampments for Gaza.
Some have been subject to forcible clearing of encampments, including at the University of California and Los Angeles (UCLA).
Besides police violence, some have also encountered violence from Zionists as well.
Authorities have grappled with how to handle the protests, with some universities shifting to remote learning and warning students to avoid protest areas.
The situation has also sparked debates about the role of outside influences, with New York Mayor Eric Adams blaming "outside agitators" for exacerbating tensions, while students at Columbia University deny such involvement.
Read more: Canada's repression against Palestinians, supporters, growing: CPA
Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed legislation to update the definition of antisemitism for the enforcement of federal anti-discrimination laws concerning educational programs.
The bill, dubbed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, comes at a crucial time when students all over the United States are protesting the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The updated definition will adopt the definition of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). If eventually enforced, the definition would mark a grave turn of events for American citizens and residents opposing the Israeli occupation. The IHRA has spread dangerous rhetoric in which any action against the "state of Israel" would be considered anti-semitism.
The IHRA had previously attempted to lobby the British government to adopt the definition at an earlier time when then British Home Secretary and pro-Zionist Suella Braverman was still in office.
In detail, the definition considers any expression of hatred toward Jews, including the "Jewish collectivity" or the "State of Israel", antisemitism.
Read more: Iraqi students protest in support of Gaza, US uni protests
