Biden is closely monitoring the situations unfolding on college campuses across the country

[Social Media]

 

President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situations unfolding on college campuses across the country and is "being kept regularly updated on what's happening", the White House says. While addressing reporters moments ago, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed that Americans have the right to peacefully protest - "as long as it's within the law".

 

She says students forcibly overtaking a building - such as the ones who did so at Columbia University this week - was not an example of "peaceful" protesting and stressed the need for all students "to feel safe on campus". It is important that students and communities feel safe here and at the same time, we are going to be really forceful here and continue to underscore how anti-semitism is hateful speech. It is wrong. It is important and we're going to continue to call that out." 

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said police made 300 arrests at Columbia University and the City College of New York Tuesday night after law enforcement raided the campuses.

 

Meanwhile, Trump described the police intervention as "a beautiful thing to watch," highlighting his belief that university leaders were "afraid" to take action against protesters. Trump's comments reflect a broader trend of conservative backlash against campus activism, particularly in light of recent protests surrounding issues such as the Israel-Hamas conflict. While Trump's supporters applaud his condemnation of what they perceive as radical protests, others view his remarks as an attack on free speech and the right to dissent.

 

The police raid at Columbia University's Hamilton Hall, which Trump praised, underscores the deepening divide between authorities and protesters on college campuses. The swift and forceful action taken by law enforcement has sparked controversy and raised questions about the appropriate response to student activism.

 

Protests at the University of Texas in Dallas have also garnered attention, as state troopers moved in to disperse demonstrators who had set up an encampment in defiance of university protocol. The clash between protesters and authorities highlights the complex dynamics at play in campus activism, where issues of free speech, civil disobedience, and institutional authority intersect.

 

In New York, Fordham University's decision to issue interim suspensions to student protesters further underscores the contentious nature of campus activism. The university's swift and decisive action has drawn criticism from some who argue that it stifles dissent and undermines students' rights to protest.

 

 

As tensions continue to simmer on college campuses across the country, questions about the role of law enforcement, the limits of free speech, and the responsibilities of university administrations remain unresolved. Trump's praise of the police raid at Columbia University serves as a flashpoint in this ongoing debate, highlighting the complexities and challenges of navigating campus activism in an increasingly polarized political climate.

 

At the heart of the issue is a fundamental tension between the right to protest and the need to maintain order and safety on college campuses. While some argue that aggressive police action is necessary to quell disruptive protests, others believe that such tactics only serve to escalate tensions and suppress dissent.

 

In the coming weeks and months, the debate over campus activism is likely to intensify as universities grapple with how to respond to student protests in a manner that respects both free speech and public safety. Trump's comments have added fuel to the fire, further polarizing an already contentious issue and highlighting the need for thoughtful and inclusive dialogue on college campuses nationwide.

 

2024-05-02

 

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[Skipalongcassidy]

joe is on the job... hahahaha... they are trying to decide which side is going to garner them the most votes... decision to come before November

[thaibeachlovers]

33 minutes ago, Social Media said:

Trump's praise of the police raid at Columbia University serves as a flashpoint in this ongoing debate, highlighting the complexities and challenges of navigating campus activism in an increasingly polarized political climate.

 

The students are not going to vote for Trump anyway, but the growing protests in the US, being led by Ivy League university students should see Biden stressing about the youth vote slip, slip, slidin' away. Could be the difference between winning and losing swing states.

While they won't vote for Trump, they could stay home or vote independent.

[thaibeachlovers]

37 minutes ago, Social Media said:

While some argue that aggressive police action is necessary to quell disruptive protests, others believe that such tactics only serve to escalate tensions and suppress dissent.

IMO only an ignoramus thinks sending cops in full riot gear with clubs to break up peaceful ( even if disruptive ) student protests is a good idea. It didn't work during the Vietnam war and it won't work now. All it is doing IMO is making the cops the enemy in the minds of young people from the wealthier echelons of American society, and that isn't going to help the cops when those students become leaders in the community.

[Skipalongcassidy]

26 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO only an ignoramus thinks sending cops in full riot gear with clubs to break up peaceful ( even if disruptive ) student protests is a good idea. It didn't work during the Vietnam war and it won't work now. All it is doing IMO is making the cops the enemy in the minds of young people from the wealthier echelons of American society, and that isn't going to help the cops when those students become leaders in the community.

Yes... very peaceful... 

[Skipalongcassidy]

29 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO only an ignoramus thinks sending cops in full riot gear with clubs to break up peaceful ( even if disruptive ) student protests is a good idea. It didn't work during the Vietnam war and it won't work now. All it is doing IMO is making the cops the enemy in the minds of young people from the wealthier echelons of American society, and that isn't going to help the cops when those students become leaders in the community.

yes... very peaceful... Guns confiscated from anti-Israel protesters at UT Austin, University of South Florida

[novacova]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situations

Really? He is incapable of monitoring the teleprompter. He’s completely oblivious as to what is going on in the world.

[Tug]

36 minutes ago, novacova said:

Really? He is incapable of monitoring the teleprompter. He’s completely oblivious as to what is going on in the world.

Ya gotta try just a little bit harder that’s not going to hold up 

[EVENKEEL]

2 minutes ago, Tug said:

Ya gotta try just a little bit harder that’s not going to hold up 

Joe will take whatever stance will get him the most votes. It's politics. I should say Joe's handlers will tell joe which way the wind is blowing and what to read.

[thaibeachlovers]

26 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Joe will take whatever stance will get him the most votes. It's politics. I should say Joe's handlers will tell joe which way the wind is blowing and what to read.

Except Joe can't take back all that "israel all the way hey hey hey" ranting, and how people that don't like thousands of kids being blown up don't understand that it's OK to do so if they would just listen to him explain it.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Yes... very peaceful... 

put a pin in that.

[JonnyF]

Let me guess, "mostly peaceful" protests just like BLM 😆.

 

Imagine working hard to send your child to an Ivy league University and they end up like this. With future leaders like this, the US is in big trouble. As is the Jewish community. 

[spidermike007]

I think the students have a constitutional right to protest and the schools have an obligation to provide a space where they can do so. Obviously, the students do not have a right to occupy buildings and obstruct the ability of the schools to provide an education. I think university presidents are completely overreacting from the Republican outrage machine, which they will never be able to appease. I’d like to see university leaders sit down with student representatives and work out a deal rather than send in law enforcement. I think reasonable concessions can be made to appease all sides.

 

I don’t think anyone was in danger. Yes, there were some outside Nazi groups that showed up, but I am tired of everything anti Israel being construed as antisemitic. I can hate Bibi and the genocide he’s committing in Gaza without hating Jews. It’s baffling.

[spidermike007]

My guess is that a few Jewish students or professors heard some language that was unkind and perhaps threatening and blew it up into this huge thing that the media just latched on to, and now they're calling protesters terrorists. I don't see anyone's strapping IEDs to their chest and walking into buildings and blowing them up. 

 

Also it's extremely unpopular to criticize Israel, they are the largest lobby in the US, and I can tell you as a Jew, for decades I've been criticized for not falling in step with all of Israeli policy. Now the extremist within the Orthodox community are behind Netanyahu. So, who's the terrorist in this picture?

[Hanaguma]

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

My guess is that a few Jewish students or professors heard some language that was unkind and perhaps threatening and blew it up into this huge thing that the media just latched on to, and now they're calling protesters terrorists. I don't see anyone's strapping IEDs to their chest and walking into buildings and blowing them up. 

 

Also it's extremely unpopular to criticize Israel, they are the largest lobby in the US, and I can tell you as a Jew, for decades I've been criticized for not falling in step with all of Israeli policy. Now the extremist within the Orthodox community are behind Netanyahu. So, who's the terrorist in this picture?

Your guess would be wrong.

There are myriad cases of Jewish students and faculty being denied entry to campus buildings, to their offices, and so on. Being assaulted and threatened with bodily harm.  

 

Have there been any cases where the police stepped in during simple, peaceful protests? Or were there other elements at play, such as blocking access to the campus, setting up illegal encampments, damaging/destroying property, and so on. 

[ignore it]

Hmm.

 

In a couple of days it's going to be the 54th anniversary of the shootings at Kent State University.  Ref;  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song. "Four Dead in Ohio".

 

Student riot due to US invasion of Cambodia.  US military US War, US students. Nobody woke, nobody entitled.

 

Eager Ohio National Guard soldier "wannabe warriors" getting tough with anti war students but killing innocents.

 

I was there.

 

I don't think they give the Nat'l Guard bullets for demonstrations anymore. 

 

Makes me kind of miss the old days.

 

 

 

[Brian Hull]

I am not an American but I support Joe Biden in most things. But his no-strings-attached provision of weaponry to Israel after they have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians is the root cause of the student protests. He had better get a lot tougher on Israel and quickly or he will lose the election to the deranged would-be fascist dictator.

[wombat]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 It didn't work during the Vietnam war and it won't work now. 

History repeats.

[placnx]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The students are not going to vote for Trump anyway, but the growing protests in the US, being led by Ivy League university students should see Biden stressing about the youth vote slip, slip, slidin' away. Could be the difference between winning and losing swing states.

While they won't vote for Trump, they could stay home or vote independent.

Maybe the White House hopes that after the students (hopefully) go home for the summer that things will calm down, except for the Democratic Convention in, where else?, Chicago. Remember 1968?

 

While planners may have a holding pen for demonstrators out of sight of the convention hall, the demonstrations will be all over social media expressing their disdain for Biden.

[placnx]

9 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

yes... very peaceful... Guns confiscated from anti-Israel protesters at UT Austin, University of South Florida

The pro-Palestine camp at UCLA didn't seem to have guns when they were violently assaulted by masked thugs, not student age. Governor Newsom complained that it took too long for the police to respond. Now the University is calling for protest to end because of violence, that caused by Zionist outsiders. Who needs protection? Maybe the Jewish students who are protesting against the Israeli government. 

[Hanaguma]

1 hour ago, Brian Hull said:

I am not an American but I support Joe Biden in most things. But his no-strings-attached provision of weaponry to Israel after they have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians is the root cause of the student protests. He had better get a lot tougher on Israel and quickly or he will lose the election to the deranged would-be fascist dictator.

I dunno. I'd rather he get tough on Iran, and Hezbollah, and Hamas.  Not due to domestic policy considerations, but simply because it is the right thing to do. 

 

The students aren't rioting because of Gaza or the plight of the poor oppressed Palestinian people. Most of them couldn't find Gaza on a map without consulting Alexa. Nah, they are piling on because on a superficial level, the conflict mirrors the racial bias that they have grown up on. Evil white colonizers surpressing poor innocent brown people. Typical shallow neo-Marxist BS that their professors shove down their willing throats at every opportunity.

[300sd]

There are a number of videos of Jewish students being harassed and blocked from going to classes just because they are Jewish. They have nothing to do with Israel. Imagine how these kids must feel. They have never seen or felt anything like it. This is pathetic and this antisemitism needs to be addressed big time. We have let this filth grow on our watch and personally it disgusts me.

[JCauto]

9 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

yes... very peaceful... Guns confiscated from anti-Israel protesters at UT Austin, University of South Florida

 

What a hypocrite! You and your Right-Wing cohort have been telling us for years that a well-armed society is a polite society, and that guns don't kill people, the people firing the gun do. Texas has open carry laws too I think. So why are you denigrating the peaceful protesters when all they're doing is following their god-given right to carry around a weapon that can easily kill people if they feel like it? This is what you and your lot have been telling us is "freedom" for all these years. What therefore does it have to do with the protesters being peaceful?

[Nick Carter icp]

2 hours ago, Brian Hull said:

I am not an American but I support Joe Biden in most things. But his no-strings-attached provision of weaponry to Israel after they have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians is the root cause of the student protests. He had better get a lot tougher on Israel and quickly or he will lose the election to the deranged would-be fascist dictator.

 

   The USA has a long history off fighting against terrorists , that is why the USA supports Israel in Israel's fight against terrorists 

[JCauto]

41 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

I dunno. I'd rather he get tough on Iran, and Hezbollah, and Hamas.  Not due to domestic policy considerations, but simply because it is the right thing to do. 

 

The students aren't rioting because of Gaza or the plight of the poor oppressed Palestinian people. Most of them couldn't find Gaza on a map without consulting Alexa. Nah, they are piling on because on a superficial level, the conflict mirrors the racial bias that they have grown up on. Evil white colonizers surpressing poor innocent brown people. Typical shallow neo-Marxist BS that their professors shove down their willing throats at every opportunity.

I think one thing that everyone is not discussing that underlies a lot of this protest is that the students and their generation are looking up at a very different world than the one we grew up in. They see houses that they'll never be able to afford to live in, skyrocketing rent that extracts most of their income and nothing but one existential threat after another coming down the pipe from catastrophic climate change to biodiversity collapse to the Singularity and these are likely to occur in their lifetimes. They feel quite correctly that they've been given a raw deal and have very little in the way of hope for the future.

This protest happened to coincide with this and so provided a vehicle for the younger generations to express their anger and contempt for how the older generations have left them high and dry, and continue to play global political games without caring much about the consequences to the poor suckers who are on the receiving end of their country's weaponry. It's been abetted by a massive disinformation and propaganda campaign that was directed at them by the Russia-Iran-China coalition and which built on a century of psychological warfare knowledge and experience in media manipulation. It leverages the widespread remnants of minor anti-semitism that have existed since the Jews have and which provide fertile ground for the separation of a group as the villain for their anger. The younger generations are also much more removed from the events of WWII and have received much less information about what happened and caused that so are fertile ground for the propaganda. It also has to be mentioned that by electing the farthest Right government in her history, the Israelis are also to blame since the Netanyahu government has played in many respects right into the hands of Hamas and their handlers from Iran.

I have yet to see them concerned in the slightest about what is happening in the many other countries in the world that are engaged in awful conflict where the innocent are similarly dying in droves.

[Nick Carter icp]

45 minutes ago, placnx said:

The pro-Palestine camp at UCLA didn't seem to have guns when they were violently assaulted by masked thugs, not student age. Governor Newsom complained that it took too long for the police to respond. Now the University is calling for protest to end because of violence, that caused by Zionist outsiders. Who needs protection? Maybe the Jewish students who are protesting against the Israeli government. 

 

  Why have you labelled them as Zionist outsiders ?

Could be that the protestors picked on Jewish students and abused them and the picked on students got their mates together and went back to confront the bullying protestors .

   I doubt that its anything to do with politics , just people naturally  fighting back against abusive bullies

[Hanaguma]

1 minute ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

  Why have you labelled them as Zionist outsiders ?

Could be that the protestors picked on Jewish students and abused them and the picked on students got their mates together and went back to confront the bullying protestors .

   I doubt that its anything to do with politics , just people naturally  fighting back against abusive bullies

And, as noted, the police nowhere in sight. Whoever was wrong or right, this kind of violence should not be allowed on a university campus.  Those participating should be identified, expelled (if students) and charged with crimes.  It is shameful on the university administration to allow this. At least Columbia finally nutted up. 

[impulse]

10 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Yes... very peaceful... 

 

The best part of that incident were all the flash bulbs going off on the other side of that door he's breaking down.    They were already inside, in big numbers.

 

That's what's referred to as gratuitous vandalism.

 

[Nick Carter icp]

18 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

And, as noted, the police nowhere in sight. Whoever was wrong or right, this kind of violence should not be allowed on a university campus.  Those participating should be identified, expelled (if students) and charged with crimes.  It is shameful on the university administration to allow this. At least Columbia finally nutted up. 

 

  I disagree , the protestors who were picking on people and abusing them got what they deserved .

The people were reclaiming the streets and the classrooms from the violent mob .

   I thoroughly enjoy seeing bullying mobs getting dealt with by (usually) law abiding citizens 

[Hanaguma]

2 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

  I disagree , the protestors who were picking on people and abusing them got what they deserved .

The people were reclaiming the streets and the classrooms from the violent mob .

   I thoroughly enjoy seeing bullying mobs getting dealt with by (usually) law abiding citizens 

Yeah, I do too. It's a guilty pleasure. But it really shouldnt be necessary. This is a job for law enforcement. No need to make martyrs of the idiots. The real villains are the cowards who run the universities and let this fester in the first place.