The President of the United States and Joe Biden is
speaking
is the right to free speech
and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices
heard.
The 2nd is the rule of law.
Both must be upheld. We are not an authoritarian nation
where we silence people or squash dissent.
The American people are heard.
In fact, peaceful protest is in the best tradition of
how Americans respond to consequential issues.
But but neither are we a lawless country.
We're a civil society and order must prevail.
Throughout our history, we've often faced moments like this because
we are a big,
diverse, free thinking and freedom loving nation.
And moments like this there are always those who rush
in to score political points.
But this isn't a moment for politics,
it's a moment for clarity.
So let me be clear.
Peaceful protest in America, violent protest is not protected.
Peaceful protest is. It's against the law when violence occurs.
Destroying property is not a peaceful protest,
it's against the law. Vandalism,
trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses,
forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations,
None of this is a peaceful protest.
Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not
peaceful protest.
It's against the law. Dissent is essential to democracy.
But dissent must never lead to disorder or to denying
the rights of others so students can finish the semester
and their college education.
Look, it's basically a matter of fairness.
It's a matter of what's right.
There's the right to protest,
but not the right to cause chaos.
People have the right to get an education,
the right to get a degree,
the right to walk across the campus safely without fear
of being attacked.
Let's be clear about this as well.
There should be no place on any campus,
no place in America for
anti-Semitism or threats of violence against Jewish students.
There is no place for hate speech
or violence of any kind,
whether it's anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or discrimination against Arab Americans or
Palestinian Americans.
It's simply wrong. There's no place for racism in America.
It's all wrong. It's on American
I understand people have strong feelings and deep convictions
in America. We respect the right and protect the right
for them to express that.
But it doesn't mean anything goes.
It needs to be done without violence,
without destruction, without hate, and within the law.
You know, I'll make no mistake.
As president, I will always defend free speech,
and I will always be just as strong as standing
up for the rule of law.
That's my responsibility to you,
the American people, my obligation to the Constitution.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President. Have the protest forced you to reconsider any of
the policies with regard to the region?
No, thank you. Mr. President.
Do you think the National Guard should intervene?
No, Mr. President, who you are calling for,
Mr. President. The former president said that he was no
longer.
Wow, OK, so those, as we heard from Peter Ducey,
that's a very small group of media who are tasked
with that's the travel group.
Today he he's going to see them again.
And this is the first time in nine days that
we've heard from the president on this.