Opposition to National Guard Deployment
Possibility of Rethinking Middle East Policy Also Rejected
WSJ "Biden Faces Narrow and Risky Path... Must Learn from 68 Years of Lessons"
U.S. President Joe Biden warned that while peaceful protests related to the pro-Palestinian anti-war demonstrations spreading across American college campuses will be protected, illegal protests will not be tolerated. As anti-Israel protests have expanded following the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, analysts suggest that warning lights have been triggered for Biden's path to re-election, which had previously enjoyed support from Arab communities and younger generations.
On the 2nd (local time), President Biden held a briefing at the White House and stated that "disruptive behavior" by protesters will not be allowed, and he supports law enforcement efforts to restore order.
He said, "We are a civil society, and order must prevail," adding, "Violent protests are not protected, only peaceful protests are protected." He reiterated, "The occurrence of violence is illegal," and emphasized again, "Acts that destroy property are not peaceful protests and are illegal."
He particularly criticized the protests for disrupting students' right to education and damaging multiple campuses.
President Biden stated, "Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, campus closures, forcing cancellations of classes and graduation ceremonies?all of these are unrelated to peaceful protests," and stressed, "Opposition is essential to democracy, but opposition should not lead to disorder or deny other students the right to complete their semester education."
However, he expressed opposition to deploying state National Guard troops to disperse protesters. He also made it clear that he has no intention of reconsidering the policy stance regarding the war between Israel and Hamas due to these protests.
As anti-war protests spread across U.S. college campuses, clashes between police and protesters have also increased. On the morning of the same day, U.S. police entered the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus to forcibly disperse protesters. Earlier, police had entered campuses including Columbia University in New York, where the anti-war protests first began, as well as the University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, and Dartmouth College. Since October 18, more than 1,600 students have been arrested at 30 universities across the United States.
Among these developments, the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) pointed out that President Biden's path to re-election in November is "very narrow and dangerous," and that lessons should be learned from the Democratic Party's disaster in the 1968 presidential election. In 1968, hundreds of U.S. college students were arrested by police while protesting against the Vietnam War. That year also featured a U.S. presidential election, in which then-Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, who had decided to deploy U.S. troops, announced he would not seek re-election, and Republican Richard Nixon was elected.
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