May 2, 2024 - US college protests

Dueling protests — a group of pro-Israel protesters and another of pro-Palestinian protesters — are taking place at George Washington University in Washington, DC, about four blocks away from each other.

On one side, a group of pro-Israel protesters, including relatives of hostages held by Hamas and students from other local universities, are gathered in a small yard on the George Washington campus, giving speeches and chanting “bring them home." 

After a confrontation between pro-Palestinian protesters and Israel supporters turned violent at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Wednesday, one of the pro-Israel protest organizers at GW told CNN that they do not plan on confronting and moving toward the pro-Palestinian protesters nearby.

On the pro-Palestinian side, speeches, songs and chants are taking place at the quad area where the encampment is located, as protesters wave Palestinian flags. The crowd supporting Israel at GW is about one-quarter the size of the pro-Palestinian protesters. 

So far, the protests have been peaceful, with law enforcement from the DC Metro Police and GW police positioned near them closely watching. 

Faculty members including professors from several universities in the DC area have formed a line across H Street in between the two groups, noting that that they are there to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters in case the other group moves near them.

Mark Lance, a professor at Georgetown University who’s leading the line of faculty, said they decided to form a line because of what unfolded at UCLA, where law enforcement has since cleared an encampment after tearing down barriers and detaining pro-Palestinian protesters early Thursday morning.

Lance, a professor of philosophy and ‘justice and peace’ studies, added that this is the first time they’ve organized as faculty, acknowledging that some of them are risking losing their jobs by doing so.

Asked whether states should call in their national guard to intervene in protests on college campuses, President Joe Biden responded: "No."

Some Republicans have encouraged states to send in their national guard to quell the protests. While Biden dismissed the idea, it's up to a state's governor to make that decision.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said his support for Israel remains unwavering amid the protests against that country's war in Gaza that have taken place on college campuses across the country.

After Biden delivered his remarks, a reporter asked whether the protests have forced him to reconsider American policies toward the region.

"No," the president responded.

Biden has previously said he supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists but has insisted more humanitarian aid flow to Gaza. 

He has pressed Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on the release of hostages that would also result in a temporary ceasefire.

President Joe Biden said protesters on college campuses should be free to express their views, but should not devolve into trespassing or violence.

Attempting to draw a line between peaceful protests and violent demonstrations, Biden acknowledged that protesters had a right to have their voices heard, but criticized instances of trespassing and vandalism that have taken place.

"Violent protest is not protected," Biden said. "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 cancelation of classes and graduation -- none of this is a peaceful protest."

The cleanup process has started at the site where UCLA demonstrators had camped out in protest.

Los Angeles police and private campus security have moved back to the scene. They were seen climbing over the strewn tents and debris left behind.

A CNN team on the ground was told the area will be cleared and then sanitized.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said both the right to free speech and the rule of law must be upheld as protests roil college campuses across the country.

“We’ve all seen images that put to the test two fundamental American principles: the first is the right to free speech and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room.

He said the US was not an “authoritarian nation” where dissenting voices are silenced.

But he also said the US was a “civil society” where “order must prevail.”

It's the first time the president has spoken extensively on the protests that are sprouting up on college campuses across the country.

Portland police officer have arrested two people outside of Portland State University's library, according to an alert from the police department posted on social media.

The department also said police officers are inside the library.

"They are doing a slow, methodical clear of the building. As expected, we have encountered barricades. Officers are clearing them as they go," the department said in another social media post.

President Joe Biden has said little about the unrest that has gripped certain college campuses in the last few weeks.

He told reporters at an Earth Day event on April 22 that he condemned antisemitism, but also “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

The comment was his last public remark on the matter. The president is expected to deliver remarks from the White House about the campus protests on Thursday.

Since that initial comment, Biden has avoided questions about the protests, drawing criticism from Republicans. Instead, the administration position on the unrest has been conveyed through spokespeople and in written statements.

The White House on Wednesday sought to answer questions about Biden’s relative silence by pointing to his condemnation of antisemitism.

“No president, no president has spoken more forcefully about combating antisemitism than this president,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters when asked why the country hadn’t heard directly from Biden about the protests.

President Joe Biden will speak at the White House on Thursday about the ongoing protests that have roiled college campuses across the country.

The president is expected to deliver remarks before he departs for North Carolina later in the day.