Could campus protests become a problem for Biden?

Students across the country are protesting against US support of Israel. Hundreds have already been arrested. The protests by young people could become a problem for Biden’s election campaign.

Students hung a Palestinian flag around the statue of George Washington on the forecourt of the university of the same name in Washington. A keffiyeh, a so-called “Palestinian cloth,” is wrapped around the neck. There are tents around it, a protest camp.

Around 100 people gathered in front of it. They are students from various universities in the city, says 25-year-old Anna, who herself comes from Georgetown University: “There’s a group that organizes protests at the universities in DC. I’m here to support the ones at George Washington University – and of course the Palestinian civil society, which is being so brutally attacked.”

With chants, the protesters demand that their university divest from companies that have connections to Israel. A young man, 28, who prefers not to give his name, explains: “I think it’s about how much young people pay to study here – and then part of it is invested in weapons. I have the feeling that younger people in particular no longer want to participate in this military-industrial complex.”

Protests at universities across the country

Many universities in the USA have invested their money in the stock market, among other things. Companies that, for example, supply weapons to Israel should not benefit from this, are the demands of students – and these are currently becoming increasingly louder at universities across the country: on the campuses of Harvard or Yale, at universities in Austin or Atlanta.

Several hundred people were recently arrested during the protests. In Washington, the mood is initially peaceful but tense. Most people here prefer not to speak in front of a microphone.

In some places already Graduation ceremonies cancelled

There is no mention of Hamas’ attack on Israel on the Washington campus. Because Jewish students felt threatened by the protests, most of the teaching at New York’s Columbia University now only takes place online. The University of Southern California in Los Angeles has canceled its central graduation ceremony for this year’s graduates.

The 28-year-old, who is demonstrating in Washington, even finds such precautions understandable. There is more anti-Semitism again, he says. However, the protest he is taking part in is not an attack on Jewish people, but rather on the US government.

Anna sees it that way too. President Joe Biden’s Israel policy is crucial for her when it comes to who she will vote for in November: “We are here to show that we are not at all on Biden’s side on this issue.” It is terrible that the Senate has just approved more money for Israel. “12,000 children have been killed, and they won’t stop until the US stops.”

Only low support for Israel

Data from the Pew Research Center shows that only about seven percent of Americans under 30 support the United States providing military support to Israel. This could still be a problem for Biden.

The 28-year-old in Washington believes it will be difficult for both presidential candidates to ignore the voices of young people. Normally they would do that anyway, he says, but from his point of view the protests will only get bigger.