From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
White House: Biden condemns takeover of Columbia University building by anti-Israel protesters
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Joe Biden opposes last night’s takeover of a building at Columbia University by anti-Israel protesters, the White House says.
“The president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach. That is not an example of peaceful protest,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says during a press briefing.
“Hate speech and hate symbols have no place in this country,” Kirby adds.
“A small percentage of students shouldn’t be able to disrupt the academic experience… for the rest of the student body,” he says.
“Students paying to go to school and want an education should be able to do that without disruption and they ought to be able to… feel safe doing it.”
“They certainly deserve to be able to graduate and participate in a graduation ceremony,” Kirby adds. Earlier this month, the University of Southern California decided to cancel its main graduation ceremony due to concerns over mass pro-Palestinian protests.
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