As pro-Palestinian protests take place on college campuses in the United States and Canada, the political consequences are much more delicate for US President Joe Biden.
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In interview at TVA NewsJulien Tourreille, researcher in residence at the Observatory on the United States at the Raoul-Dandurand Chair, recalled that the challenges of reconciling the fundamental principles of freedom of expression and demonstration while enforcing order remained the same here as with our southern neighbors.
But on the United States side, the situation worsened two weeks ago at Colombia University, “perhaps because the president of this same university decided to call the police in reaction to a context political” after receiving political pressure to act, according to the expert.
“We must not forget that this same president was in a hearing in the House of Representatives and she was strongly criticized by Republican elected officials who criticized the university for being too lax in relation to what Republican elected officials describe as speeches. anti-Semitic,” he insisted.
A “very delicate” subject for the White House
In this context, it is very difficult for Joe Biden to have a political position that can satisfy both camps.
“Republicans are very happy to amplify the phenomenon to try to show division among Democratic voters and leaders; division on this issue which is all the same less important than that among the Republicans themselves on the issue, for example, of Ukraine,” explained Julien Tourreille.
This could undermine support for Joe Biden particularly in the state of Michigan where there is the largest American Muslim community, he stressed.
“In the perspective of an election that promises to be close, he does not want to lose this entire community (…), but not at the risk of losing slightly older voters who are pro-Israeli. So it’s squaring the circle on this issue for Joe Biden at the moment,” he concluded.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
