The White House on Sunday condemned antisemitism on college campuses, days after New York City police dispersed a pro-Palestinian Arab rally at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 students, Bloomberg News reported.
The White House statement avoided naming a specific university, with White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates saying only, “While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous.”
“They have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” added Bates.
On Thursday, more than 100 people were arrested by New York Police Department officers on a preliminary charge of criminal trespass, as police entered Columbia University to disperse a pro-Palestinian Arab protest that began a day earlier.
The anti-Israel protests have continued since. Overnight Saturday, the Chabad rabbi of Columbia University and a group of Jewish students were forced to leave the university campus for their own safety during a pro-Hamas demonstration.
Video posted to social media showed a female student asking why the anti-Israel protesters are following them, and another student can be heard saying that they needed to stick together for safety.
During Saturday night's demonstration, protesters attempted to break through the campus gate, chanting "Break da lock," "Someone torch it," Pick the lock," and "It's just a lock."
Also on Sunday, Biden alluded to the antisemitism on campus in his Passover message.
“The ancient story of persecution against Jews in the Haggadah also reminds us that we must speak out against the alarming surge of Antisemitism – in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country. My Administration will continue to speak out and aggressively implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, putting the full force of the federal government behind protecting the Jewish community,” Biden said.