Holocaust memorial: Joe Biden to condemn rise of anti-Semitism
In the annual Days of Remembrance address the US President will ‘recommit to heeding the lessons of this dark chapter’.
US President Joe Biden will speak out against anti-Semitism at a Holocaust memorial ceremony on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), as tensions remain high over nationwide campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The speech at the US Capitol comes after Mr Biden finally addressed the demonstrations last week, following days of silence that drew criticism from Republicans and his fellow Democrats in an election year.
It also comes as the President warns Israel against invading the crowded Gazan city of Rafah, while pushing for a ceasefire with Hamas – which on Monday said it had accepted a deal for a truce and hostage release.
In his address at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Capitol, Mr Biden will “recommit to heeding the lessons of this dark chapter”, the White House said on Monday.
“He will speak to the horrors of October 7 when Hamas unleashed the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “And he will speak to how since October 7, we’ve seen an alarming rise in anti-Semitism in the US – in our cities, our communities and on our campuses.”
Jewish students have reported an increase in anti-Semitism since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, and Israel’s president said last week that US campuses were “contaminated” by hatred.
Those comments came as protesters, including many Jewish students critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, stage recurring protests against the country’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Mr Biden “will reaffirm we respect and protect a fundamental right to free speech”, Ms Jean-Pierre said, while making clear “there is no place on any campus or anywhere for anti-Semitism.”
“There is no place for hate speech or threats of violence against the Jewish people.”
Protesters have said they reject alleged anti-Semitic incidents and have criticised a lack of attention given to alleged harassment of Muslim and Palestinian students.
Mr Biden discussed anti-Semitism in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which he pushed for Israel not to invade Rafah.
The two leaders discussed the “shared commitment” of Israel and the US to remember the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust by Nazi Germany “and to forcefully act against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate-fuelled violence”, it said.
Campuses across the US have been rocked by weeks of protests against Israel’s offensive on Gaza, with police being called in to a number to dismantle encampments. Columbia University, the epicentre of the demonstrations, on Monday cancelled its main graduation ceremony as colleges seek to contain the unrest.
The Ivy League school in New York, where at least 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested last week, cited security concerns as it cancelled the ceremony scheduled for May 15. Students have criticised what they say is a heavy-handed response.
The move has failed to stem anger over US support of Israel amid a mounting Palestinian death toll: fresh protests sprung up in the city on Monday evening, including at the university gates, amid a heavy police presence.
Protesters then made their way to demonstrate at the city’s annual Met Gala, a glitzy, high-profile fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Several were arrested.
After staying virtually silent on the protests, Mr Biden insisted in a televised address last week that “order must prevail” and there was “no place in America for anti-Semitism.” The Biden administration has tried to walk a fine line between free speech and complaints of intimidation.
Republicans have accused him of being soft on what they say is anti-Semitic sentiment among the protesters; demonstrators have accused detractors of conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.
AFP
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