Biden Denounces Violence on Campus, Breaking Silence After Rash of Arrests

President Biden broke days of silence on Thursday to finally speak out on the wave of anti-Israel protests on American college campuses that have inflamed much of the country, denouncing violence and antisemitism even as he defended the right to peaceful dissent.

In an unscheduled televised statement from the White House, Mr. Biden offered a forceful condemnation of students and other protesters who in his view have taken their grievances over Israel’s war against Hamas too far. But he rejected Republican calls to deploy the National Guard to rein in the campuses.

“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law,” Mr. Biden said. “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduation — 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.”

The president’s statement came after Democrats frustrated by his reticence to speak out pressed him to publicly address the campus uprisings. Until now, Mr. Biden had offered only a couple of sentences in response to reporter questions 10 days ago that even Democrats considered too equivocal and otherwise left it to his spokespeople to express his views. Republicans have castigated him for not weighing in himself.

Mr. Biden implied that his critics were simply being opportunistic. “In 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