Joe Biden to discuss ‘scourge of antisemitism’ amid campus protests
US President Joe Biden will address rising antisemitism at a Holocaust event, amid tensions on university campuses over the war in Gaza.
His speech follows police interventions to dismantle several protest camps around the country.
The demonstrators have faced complaints of intimidation and hate speech, which organisers have denied.
At the same time they say they have been subject to Islamophobic and racist remarks by counter-demonstrators.
Mr Biden will discuss “our moral duty to combat the rising scourge of antisemitism”, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
She described fighting antisemitism as “the core of who this president is”.
Ahead of the speech, the White House announced new measures aimed at countering antisemitism, expanding on a national strategy first published in June. They include the creation of online resources “to ensure that colleges and universities do a better job of protecting both Jewish students and all of their students”, as well as new guidance for schools.
Since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas militants and subsequent Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Jewish students in the US have reported an increase in antisemitic incidents. According to the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish advocacy group, antisemitic incidents spiked nationally in the final three months of 2023, and rose 321% on university campuses.
One Jewish student at Columbia University – where a protest encampment sparked a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations – previously told the BBC that she had been called a “murderer” and told to “go back to Poland”.
On Thursday, Mr Biden rejected claims that the protests were non-violent.
“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest; it’s against the law,” he said.
“Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations – none of this is a peaceful protest.
He added: “There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans.”
In the six months since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, the Biden administration has attempted to balance support for Israel with addressing growing domestic dissent over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
But while progressives have accused Mr Biden of not doing enough to end the fighting, he has faced criticism from Republicans for publicly seeking to limit Israel’s actions and not speaking about the protests sooner.
Alongside Mr Biden’s keynote speech on Tuesday, both Republican and Democratic congressional leaders – as well as four Holocaust survivors – will speak at the memorial ceremony, which will be held in Emancipation Hall at the US Capitol in Washington DC.