President Biden spoke out against antisemitic protests on Monday despite growing pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia University and other college campuses across the US.
“I condemn antisemitic protests, which is why I established a program to address this issue. I also condemn those who fail to understand the Palestinian situation and their plight,” the president said before being cut off.
When asked if the president of Columbia University should resign, Biden responded, “I don’t know that.” This exchange occurred just before he took questions from reporters and shortly after discussing the issue with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Biden (Credits: CNN)
Biden’s comments come as hundreds of students at Columbia University occupy the campus center, protesting and calling for a ceasefire and an end to US military aid to Israel.
The demonstrations have spread to other campuses, including New York University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The protesters, including Jewish students, demand action from the Biden administration.
President Biden (Credits: ABP Live – ABP News)
The White House issued a statement on Sunday denouncing the protests as “blatantly antisemitic” and encouraging “calls for violence.”
The statement read, “Every American has the right to peaceful protest but calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students, and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have no place on any college campus or in the United States.”
