The wave of student mobilizations in a growing number of universities in the United States in protest of Israel’s actions has become a headache for President Joe Biden.
With nuances, students want their institutions to distance themselves from companies or donors linked to Israel or that benefit from the war in the Middle East. They are also calling for an amnesty for the hundreds of students arrested in the demonstrations.
So far, the university institutions have rejected the demands and have requested the intervention of the public force.
But the response has had the opposite effect: They have radicalized students and expanded the movement to more college campuses in the United States.
At the time of writing these lines, dozens of students at Columbia University in New York were barricaded in Hamilton Hall, with no clear horizon for a solution.
Student mobilizations are part of a long tradition of political activism at universities in the United States.
Beginning in 1964, students at the University of California Berkeley protested the limitations placed on political activities and freedom of expression during the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement.
But the new tsunami of protests that encompasses dozens of universities has been overshadowed by unacceptable anti-Semitic expressions.
From the White House, the development of the demonstrations is carefully and concernedly observed since support for President Biden among young university students and progressive sectors has weakened since October, given the perception that he has not done enough to try to stop the retaliation of Israel against the Palestinians.
President Biden has executed a careful political balancing act that has likely satisfied neither side. “I condemn anti-Semitic protests. That’s why I created a program to address it. I also condemn those who do not understand what is happening to the Palestinians,” Biden said.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was tasked with the mission of traveling to the region to seek a temporary ceasefire, lasting at least 6 weeks. If he is successful, his effort could have an impact on the development and intensity of the protests.
The right to free speech is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution and has been blood-won throughout American history.
But it must not be tainted by actions that trample on the rights of others or that encourage racial hatred or intolerance. It is everyone’s duty to ensure that this does not happen.
