The Protesters and the President

from New York Times I'm Michael babbaro. this is the. [Music]. daily over the past week what had begun. as a smattering of pro Palestinian. protests on America's college campuses. exploded into a nationwide movement. people uned will never be defeated as. students at dozens of universities held.

demonstrations set up encampments and at. times seized academic. [Music]. buildings in response administrators at. many of those colleges decided to crack. down do not throw things at our officers. we will use chemical Munitions to. include gas calling in local police to. carry out Mass detentions and arrests. from Arizona state in the name of the.

Aron I deare this Gathering to be a. violation of to the University of. Georgia to City College of New. York as of Thursday police had arrested. 2,000 students on more than 40 campuses. a situation so startling that President. Biden could no longer ignore it look. it's basically a matter of fairness.

it's a matter of what's right there's. the right to protest but not the right. to cause chaos today my colleagues. Jonathan wolf and Peter Baker on a. history making week it's Friday May. [Music]. 3rd Jonathan as this tumultuous week on. college campuses comes to an end it. feels like the most extraordinary scene.

played out on the campus of the. University of California Los Angeles. where you have been reporting what is. the story of how that protest started. and ultimately became so explosive so. late last. week Pro Palestinian protesters set up. an encampment at the University of. California Los. Angeles it was right in front of Royce. Hall which I don't know if you.

are familiar with UCLA but it's like a. very famous red brick building it's like. on all the brochures MH and there was. two things that like stood out about. this encampment and the first thing was. that they sort of barricaded the. encampment the encampment complete with. tents and barricades has been set up in. the middle of the Westwood campus the. protesters they have you know metal. grates they had wooden pallets and they. sort of separated themselves from the. campus this is kind of interesting they. are controlling access as we've been. talking about they are trying to control. who is allowed in.

who is allowed they sort of policed the. area so they only would let people that. were like part of their Community they. said inside I'm a UCLA student I deserve. to go here we pay tuition this is our. school and they're not letting me walk. in well I can't take will you let me go. in we're not engaging then you can move. will you move and the second thing that. stood out about this Camp was that it. immediately attracted pro-israel counter. protesters and what did the leadership. of UCLA say about all of this the. encampment and these counter protesters.

so the University of California's. approach was pretty unique they had a. really hands-off approach and they. allowed the pro Palestinian protesters. to set up an encampment uh they allowed. the counter protesters to happen I mean. this is a public university so anyone. who wants to can just enter the campus. so when did things start to escalate so. there were definitely fights and. scuffles through the weekend but a. turning point was really Sunday. [Music].

when this group called The Israeli. American Council they're a nonprofit. organization organized a rally on campus. the Israeli American Council has really. been against these Pro Palestinian. protests they say that they're. anti-semitic mhm so this nonprofit group. sets up a stage with a screen really. just a few yards from the prop. Palestinian encampment we are grateful. that this past Friday the University of. California stated that they will. continue to oppose any calls for boycott.

and divestment from. Israel and they host speakers and they. held prayers Jewish students you're not. alone oh you're not alone we are right. here with you and we are right here with. you. [Music]. Israel and then lots of other people. start showing up and the proximity. between protesters and counter. protesters and even some agitators makes. it really clear that something was about. to happen. and what was that what ended up.

happening on Monday night a group of. about 60 counterparts tried to breach. the encampment there and the campus. police had to break it up and things. escalated again on. Tuesday they storm the barricades and. it's a complete. Riot I went to report on what happened. just a few hours after it ended hello hi. and I spoke to a lot of protesters and I. met one demonstrator Marie yeah my first.

name is Marie m a r i e last name Salem. and Marie described what happened so can. you just tell me a little bit about what. happened last. night last night we were approached by. you know over a 100 counter protesters. who were very mobilized and ready to. break into Camp they proceeded to try to. breach our barricades extremely. violently Marie said it started getting. out of hand when counter protesters.

started setting off fireworks towards. the camp they had bear spray they had. mace they were throwing wood kind like. Spears throwing water bottles continuing. fireworks so she said that they were. terrified it was just all hands on deck. everyone was guarding the barricades. every time someone was experienced the. be spray or mace or was hit and bleeding. we had some medics in the front line and. then really had people and they said. that they were just trying to take care. of people who are injured I mean any.

given moment there is you know five to. 10 people being treated so what she. described to me sounded more like a. battlefield than a college campus and it. was just a complete Terror and complete. abandonment of the University as we also. watched private security watched this. the entire time on the stairs and some. LAPD were stationed about a football. field length back from these counter. protesters and and did not make a single.

arrest did not attempt to stop any. violence did not attempt to get in. between the two groups no. attempt I should say I spoke to State. authorities and eyewitnesses and they. confirmed Marie's account about what. happened that night both in terms of the. violence that took place at the. encampment and how law enforcement. responded so in the end people ended up. fighting for hours before the police. intervened.

so in her mind UCLA's hands-off approach. which seemed to have prevailed. throughout this entire period ends up. being way too hands off in a moment when. students were in Jeopardy that's right. and so at this point the protesters in. the encampment started preparing for. sort of two possibilities one was that. this group of counter protesters would. return and attack them and the second. one was that the police would come and. try to break up this encampment so they. start building up the barricades they. start reinforcing them with wood and.

during the day hundreds of people came. and brought them supplies they brought. food they brought helmets goggles. earplugs Salan solution all sort of. things these people could use to defend. themselves and so they're really getting. ready to burrow in and in the end it was. the police who. [Music]. came so Wednesday at 700 p.m. they made. an announcement on top of voice Hall. which overlooks the encampment. administrative criminal actions up to. putting arrest please leave the area.

immediately and they told people in the. encampment that they needed to leave or. face. arrest and so as nightfalls they put on. all this gear that they've been. collecting the goles the masks and the. earplugs and they wait for the. police and so the police arrive and sort. of station themselves right in front of. the encampment and then at a certain. point they stormed The Back Stairs Of. The. encampment and this is the stairs that. the protesters having using to enter and.

exit the camp and they set up a line and. the protesters do this really surprising. thing they open up umbrellas they have. these sort of strobe lights and they're. flashing them at the police who sort of. just like slowly back out of the. camp and so at this point they're. feeling really great you know they're. like we did it we we push them out of. the camp and when the cops Tred to push.

again on those same set of. stairs hold your ground the protesters. organize themselves with all these. shields that they had built earlier and. they go and confront them and so there's. this moment where the police are trying. to push up the stairs and the protesters. are literally pushing them. back stand back p stand back and at a. certain point dozens of the police. officers who were there basically just. turn around and leave so how does this. eventually come to an end so at a.

certain point the police push in again. most of the conflict is centered at the. front of these barricades and the police. just start tearing them. apart they remove the front barricade. and in his place is this group of. protesters who have linked arms and. they're hanging on to each other and the. police are trying to pull protesters one. by one away from this group. but they're having a really hard time.

because there's so many protesters and. they're all just hanging on to each. other so at a certain point one of the. police officers started firing something. into the crowd we don't exactly know. what it was but it really spooked the. protesters stop shooting. [Music]. that they started falling back everyone. was really scared the protesters were. yelling don't shoot us and at that point. the police just sort of storm the.

camp and so after about 4 hours of this. the police pushed the protesters out of. the encampment they had arrested about. 200 protesters and this was finally over. and I'm just curious Jonathan because. you're standing right there you are. bearing witness to this all what your. thinking what your impressions of this. were I mean I was stunned um these are. mostly teenagers uh this is a college. campus an institution of Higher Learning.

and what I saw in front of me looked. like a war. [Music]. zone the massive barricade the police. coming in with riot gear and all this. violence was happening in front of these. red brick buildings that are famous for. symbolizing really open college campus. and everything about it was just totally. [Music]. surreal well Jonathan thank you very. much we appreciate it thanks.

[Music]. Michael we'll be right. back Peter around 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. morning as the smoke is literally still. clearing at the University of California. Los Angeles you get wor word that. President Biden is going to speak right.

exactly it wasn't on his public schedule. he was about to head to Andrew's Air. Force Base in order to take a trip and. then suddenly we got the notice that he. was going to be addressing the cameras. in the Roosevelt room they didn't tell. us what he was going to talk about but. it was pretty clear I think everybody. understood that it was going to be about. these campus protests about the growing. violence and the clashes with police and. the arrest that the entire country been. watching on TV every night for the past. week and I think that we watching just. that morning with uh you CLA and it. reached the point where he just had to.

say something and why in his estimation. and those of his advisers was this the. moment that Biden had to say something. well it kind of reached a boiling point. it kind of reached the impression of a. national crisis and you expect to hear. your president address it in this kind. of a moment particularly because it's. about his own policy his policy toward. Israel is at the heart of these protests. and he was getting a lot of grief he was. getting a lot of grief from Republicans. who are chiding him for not speaking out. personally he hasn't said anything about. 10 days he's got a lot of pressure from. Democrats too who wanted him to come out.

and be more forceful it wasn't enough in. their view to leave it to his. spokespeople to say something moderate. Democrats felt he needed to come out and. take some leadership on this and so at. the appointed moment Peter what does. Biden actually say in the Roosevelt room. of the White House good. morning before I head to North Carolina. I wanted to speak a few moments about. what's going on on our college campuses. here well he comes into the and he talks. to the camer he talks about the two.

clashing imperatives of American. principle 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 one is freedom of speech the. other is the rule of law in fact. peaceful protest is in the best. tradition of how Americans respond to. consequential issues but but neither are. we a lawless country in other words what.

he's saying is yes I support the right. of these protesters to come out and. object to even my own policy in effect. is what he's saying but it shouldn't. Trail into violence destroying property. is not a peaceful protest it's against. the law vandalism trespassing breaking. Windows shutting down campuses they. shouldn't Trail into taking over. buildings and obstructing students from. going to class or canceling their.

graduations threatening people. intimidating people instilling fear in. people is not peaceful protest it's. against the law and he leans very. heavily into this idea that what he's. seeing these days goes beyond the line I. understand people have strong feelings. and deep convictions in America we. respect the right and protect the right. for them to express that but it doesn't. mean anything goes it is crossed into. harassment and expressions of hate in a.

way that go against the national. character as president I will always. defend free speech and I will always be. just as strong in standing up for the. rule of law that's my responsibility to. you the American people my obligation to. the. Constitution thank you very much right. as I watched the speech I heard his. overriding message to basically be I the. president United States I'm drawing a. line these protests and counter-protests. you the seizing and defacing of campus. buildings class disruption all of it.

name calling it's getting out of hand. that there's a right way to do this and. what I'm seeing is the wrong way to do. it and it has to stop that's exactly. right and as he's wrapping up reporters. of course ask questions and the first. question is Mr President have the. protests forced you to reconsider any of. the policies with regard to the region. will this change your policy toward the. war in Gaza which of course is exactly. what the protesters want that's the. point right and he basically says no no.

just one word no right and that felt. kind of important as brief and fleeting. as it was because at the end of the. day what he's saying to these protesters. is I'm not going to do what you want and. basically your protests are never going. to work I'm not going to change the US's. involvement in this war yeah that's. exactly right he is saying you know I'm. not going to be swayed by angry people. in the streets I'm going to do what I.

think is right when it comes to foreign. policy now what he thinks is that. they're not giving him enough credit for. trying to achieve what they want which. is an end of the war he has been. pressuring Israel and Hamas to come to a. deal for a ceasefire that hopefully in. his view would then lead to a more. enduring end of hostilities but of. course this deal hasn't gone anywhere. Hamas in particular seems to be. resisting it and so the president's left. with a policy of arming Israel without. having found a way yet to stop the.

war right I wonder though Peter if we're. being honest don't these protests. despite what Biden is saying there. inevitably exert a kind of power over. him you know becoming one of many. pressures but a pressure. nonetheless that does influence how he. thinks about these moments I mean here. he is at the White House devoting an. entire conversation to the nation to the. campus protests well he look he knows.

this feeds into the political. environment in which he's running for. reelection in which he basically has. people who otherwise might be his. supporters on the left disenchanted with. him and he knows that there's a cost to. be paid and it certainly obviously is in. his head as he's thinking about what to. do but I think his view of the war is. changing by the day for all sorts of. reasons and and most of them having to. do with realities on the ground he has. decided that Israel has gone far enough. if not too far in the way it has.

conducted this operation in Gaza he is. upset about the humanitarian crisis. there and he's looking for a way to wrap. all this up into kind of a move that. would move to peacemaking like beginning. to get the region to a different stage. maybe have a deal with the Saudis to. normalize relations with Israel and. exchange for some sort of a two-state. solution that would eventually resolve. the Palestinian issue at it core so I.

think it's probably fair to say that the. protest won't move him in an immediate. kind of sense but they obviously play. into the larger Zeitgeist of the moment. and I also think it's important to know. who Joe Biden is at heart explain that. he's not drawn to activism he was around. in 1968 the last time we saw this major. confguration at Columbia University for. instance at the time Joe Biden was a law. student in Syracuse about 250 miles away. and he was an institutionalist even then.

he was just focused on his studies he. was about to graduate he was thinking. about the law career and he didn't. really have much of an affinity I think. for his fellow students of that era for. their activist uh way of looking at. things he tells a story in his Memoir. about walking down the street in. Syracuse one day to go to the pizza shop. with some friends and they walk by the. administration building and they see. people hanging out of the windows. they're hanging SDS banners that's the. students for a Democratic Society which. was one of the big activist groups of. the era and he says they were taking.

over the building and we looked up and. said look at those that's how. far apart from the anti-war movement I. was that's him writing in his Memoir so. to a young Joe Biden those who devote. their time and their energy to. protesting the war are I don't need to. repeat the word twice but they're losers. they're not worth this time well I think. it's the tactics they're they're using. more than the goals that he disagree. with he would tell you he disagreed with. the Vietnam War he was for civil rights.

but that he thought that taking over a. building was performative was all about. getting attention and that there was a. better way in his view to do it he was. somebody who wants to work inside the. system he said in an interview quite a. few years back he says look I was. wearing sports coats in that era he saw. himself becoming part of the system not. somebody trying to tear it down and so. how should we think about that Joe Biden. when we think about this Joe Biden I. mean the Joe Biden Who as a Young Man.

looked upon anti-war protesters with. disdain and the one who is now president. and his very own policies have inspired. such ferocious campus protests yeah you. know that Joe Biden the 1968 Joe Biden. he could just throw on his sports coat. go to the pizza shop with his friends. make fun of the activists and call them. names and then that's it they didn't. have to affect his life but that's not. what 2024 Joe Biden can.

[Music]. do now wherever he goes he's Dogg by. this he goes to speeches and people are. shouting at him genocide Joe genocide. Joe he is the target of the same kind of. a movement that he disdained in. 1968 and so as much as he would like to. ignore it or move on or focus on other. things I think this has become a. defining image of his year and one of.

the defining images perhaps of his. presidency and 2024 Joe Biden can't. simply ignore. [Music]. it well Peter thank you very much we. appreciate it thank. you we'll be right back.

[Music]. here's what else you need to know today. during testimony on Thursday in Donald. Trump's hush money trial jurors heard a. recording secretly made by Trump's. former fixer Michael Cohen in which. Trump discusses a deal to buy a woman's. silence in the recording Trump asks.

Cohen about how one payment made by. Trump to a woman named Karen McDougall. would be financed the recording could. complicate efforts by Trump's lawyers to. distance him from the hush money deals. at the center of the. trial a final thing to know tomorrow. morning we'll be sending you the latest. episode from our colleagues over at the. interview this week David Mur casy talks. with comedy star Marlon W about his new.

standup special it's a high that you get. when you don't know if this joke that. I'm about to say is going to offend. everybody are they going to walk out are. they going to boo me are they going to. hate this and you tell it and everybody. cracks up and you're. like today's episode was produced by. Diana Win Luke Vander pluk Alexandra Lee. Young Nina Feldman and Carlos Prieto it.

was edited by Lisa chow and Michael. benois contains original music by Dan. Powell and Maran Lozano and was. engineered by Chris Wood our theme music. is by Jim brunberg and Ben lansburg of. wonderly that's it for the daily I'm. Michael Babar see you on Monday.