Pro-Palestinian protests are sweeping across U.S. college campuses, posing a fresh political challenge for President Joe Biden amid growing anti-Semitic incidents.
At Columbia University, the epicenter of recent protests, students have persisted in their anti-Israel encampment for the past two weeks, occupying a large portion of the lawn that stretches between the institution’s two iconic buildings, Butler Library and Low Memorial Library.
In the heart of this 270-year-old American school, Palestinian flags flutter while an unusual banner greets passersby: “Welcome to the People’s University for Palestine.”
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik on April 29 said that talks with protesters had reached an impasse and encouraged demonstrators to depart or face suspension.
The school had earlier asked that the demonstrators leave campus by 2 p.m. on April 29. The deadline passed, but the demonstrators refused to budge. New York City police were stationed around the university. It was unclear at the time of publication whether Columbia’s administrators or police would take action to disperse the encampment.
Pro-Palestinian protests have become a feature of President Biden’s campaign events in recent months, causing him a big headache. Protesters have frequently disrupted his speeches, accusing him of backing Israel. They chanted slogans like “Genocide Joe” and “Ceasefire now or no vote.”
Since the protests started on the Columbia campus, President Biden has refrained from talking about them, attempting to strike a delicate balance when it comes to the conflict in Gaza.
“I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I’ve set up a program to deal with that,” President Biden told reporters on April 22 when asked if he was condemning the protests on college campuses.
“I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians,” he said.
The student protesters established their encampment on the Columbia campus at dawn on April 17 in response to Israel’s military actions against Hamas in Gaza. The following day, Ms. Shafik called in police, leading to the arrest of more than 100 students on charges of trespassing.
Since then, protesters have rebuilt their tents and resumed their demonstrations, showing no signs of giving up despite mass suspensions and arrests. Several faculty members wearing yellow vests have also joined the protesters, trying to protect the students from the school’s administrators.
“The more they try to silence us, the louder we will be,” one sign reads at the encampment.
Pro-Palestinian protests have spread like wildfire at colleges across the United States in solidarity with the Columbia students. Police interventions in many schools—including Yale University, George Washington University, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, and Emerson College—have resulted in over 800 arrests so far.
“We will remain until Columbia concedes to our demands,” reads one whiteboard at the Columbia campus, listing the protesters’ three demands. First, they want the university to cut ties with corporations they claim are profiting “from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine.”
Israel has repeatedly rejected the accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Protesters are also demanding financial transparency and amnesty for all teachers and students dismissed or disciplined for their participation in recent protests.
Naomi, a protester who preferred not to reveal her last name, expressed optimism that some, if not all, of the demands could be met by the school administrators.
“What’s more important is that we’re signaling to other institutions, such as other universities and the White House, that students and a lot of Americans don’t stand for the war in Gaza,” she told The Epoch Times on April 27.
Life at the Ivy League school, however, has been disrupted for most students who don’t participate in these protests. The school announced it would move to remote learning for the rest of the school year.
Many students nationwide fear disruptions to their graduation ceremonies. The University of Southern California in Los Angeles has already canceled its main commencement ceremony due to safety concerns.
Ms. Shafik stated that Columbia University will hold its graduation ceremony on May 15, despite the impasse.
“Protest is a pillar of free expression and nothing new to these schools,” Kaivan Shroff, a political commentator and advisor to Dream for America, a Gen Z-led nonprofit, told The Epoch Times.
“In this case, the main difference seems to be the response from administrators, with Columbia having led the charge in ordering the arrest of their own peacefully protesting students,” he said.
Some protesters feel that their anti-war campaign is reminiscent of the demonstrations against the Vietnam War at Columbia almost 60 years ago.
In the spring of 1968, protesters took over academic buildings in protest against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. After a week-long stalemate, New York City police stormed the campus, arresting over 700 people.
“It took decades for the university to recover from those turbulent times,” according to the school’s website.
It’s still unclear whether today’s pro-Palestinian protests are going to be as big as the broad resistance to the Vietnam War on university campuses in the 1960s.
Biden Under Pressure
Many students protesting the war in Gaza say they’re unhappy with President Biden for failing to achieve a ceasefire.Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) recently voiced concern about the lack of enthusiasm among young voters for the president. The progressive congresswoman recently visited pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Pittsburgh.
During an interview with CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on April 28, Ms. Lee was asked if she sees enthusiasm from students about voting for President Biden in November.
“To be honest, you know, we don’t. It’s not a topic that, you know, always comes up, but it does a lot,” she responded.
“They want to see a ceasefire in Gaza; they want to see the indiscriminate bombings and killings end,” she said. “They feel like our government can do more. And that’s what they’re looking for. They’re looking for some sort of acknowledgment from our leadership.”
Meanwhile, there is also growing discontent among Jewish students who feel that the Biden administration could do more to address the issue of anti-Semitic attacks on campus.
Despite numerous statements by protesters and activist groups that the demonstrations were peaceful, some protesters have been caught on camera uttering anti-Semitic remarks and making physical threats against Jews.
Mr. Shroff criticized Republicans for using the protests “as a political opportunity.” He also said that the media is exacerbating the situation by focusing “on the most outrageous voices” among both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students.
According to media reports, protesters at Columbia have directly targeted and verbally harassed Jewish students. A masked protester said, “We are Hamas. We are all Hamas.” Another demonstrator said, “Never forget the seventh of October ... that will happen not one more time, not five more times, not 10 more times, not 100 more times, not 1,000 more times, but 10,000 times.”
The White House condemned all harassment against Jewish students, calling it “antisemitic.”
“These dangerous, appalling statements turn the stomach and should serve as a wakeup call,” Andrew Bates, White House deputy press secretary, said in a recent statement.
He said President Biden has always opposed “violent rhetoric, hate speech, and antisemitic remarks.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican colleagues visited Columbia University on April 24 to show support for Jewish students.
“This is not the First Amendment. They’re threatening and intimidating, saying that they will take violence upon Jewish students,” Mr. Johnson told reporters on campus, criticizing protesters. “We met with Jewish students who are in fear. They can’t come on campus. They can’t study for their final exams.”
The same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the college campus protests, saying they should be stopped.
“What’s happening in America’s college campuses is horrific,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement. “Antisemitic mobs have taken over leading universities. They call for the annihilation of Israel. They attack Jewish students. They attack Jewish faculty.”
Several Jewish lawmakers from both parties have also criticized the Biden administration for taking a lax approach to addressing the ongoing mistreatment of Jewish students.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) sent a letter last week to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona regarding a surge of complaints filed with the Education Department and asked for an update on the pending investigations into anti-Semitism on college campuses.
Candidate of Normalcy?
Like in 2020, President Biden has positioned himself as the candidate of normalcy in 2024. However, if the large-scale protests and clashes with police persist into the fall, they could pose a significant challenge to his reelection bid.During the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden criticized then-President Donald Trump for sowing chaos, and when he took office, he promised to “reverse the chaos” he inherited.
However, Republicans, including President Trump, are now criticizing him for high inflation, border crises, and wars in Europe and the Middle East. Furthermore, the recent surge in campus protests under his watch may become a potential area of criticism, potentially swaying independent voters toward former President Trump, critics say.
Recent polls also reflect growing unhappiness with President Biden.
President Biden averaged 38.7 percent job approval in his 13th quarter, which began Jan. 20 and ended April 19.
“None of the other nine presidents elected to their first term since Dwight Eisenhower had a lower 13th-quarter average than Biden,” a Gallup report said.
According to a new CNN poll, 61 percent of Americans believe President Biden’s presidency has been a failure, while 39 percent say it has been a success.
Looking back, 55 percent of respondents consider President Trump’s presidency a success, while 44 percent consider it a failure, according to the same survey.
“Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing. And, yes, age is an issue. I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old,” President Biden said.
