'Playing both sides': Lindsey Graham slammed after calling Biden 'afraid' of pro-Palestine demonstrators

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) lashed out at President Joe Biden, accusing him of being "afraid" in the face of escalating tensions surrounding recent campus protests.

The Republican senator's remarks come in the wake of clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and law enforcement at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Graham's critique

Graham's pointed critique was aired during an appearance on America Reports Wednesday afternoon, May 1, where he highlighted what he perceived as the Biden administration's reluctance to intervene decisively.

Fox anchor Sandra Smith began, “Karine Jean-Pierre at the top there, there wasn’t a whole lot of update from the president, but she did say that Biden would deliver the keynote address at the Holocaust Day of Remembrance on May 7. He’s going to travel to Capitol Hill to deliver the keynote address at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Day of Remembrance ceremony. So he is going to speak in a few days on this. But just a real quick final question to you. She [Jean-Pierre] just said when asked, has he [Biden] been in touch, is there any phone calls, communication with these university directors presidents, is he speaking to anyone? I mean, I think paraphrasing: No was the answer.”

“Why do you fathom she didn’t step out more prepared to say that the president is acting on this chaos?” Smith asked Graham.

“He’s afraid of the protesters,” Graham responded. “There’s a real Hamas wing of the Democratic Party who wants to not help the Palestinians, but kill all the Jews. They say we are Hamas. There are radical elements within the Democratic Party and the country right now at large that would literally help destroy the Jewish state.”

Graham stressed the urgency of the situation, urging the president to take immediate action. “We can’t wait to May 6 or 7. Mr. President, you need to speak tonight. You need to reassure Jewish Americans that your administration will have their back. You need to tell these schools: If you don’t clean up your act, I will clean it up for you,” he concluded, as quoted by Mediaite.

Social media backlash

However, Senator Graham's comments drew quite a backlash on social media.

"Weakling playing both sides of death he himself created!" one posted on X.

"Do people not have the right to protest anymore?" another asked.

"If Graham is so brave, why doesn’t he face the protesters," someone else added.

"Someone tell Lady G that the president is not a local cop, nor the president of the university. It’s not the president of the U.S.'s job to get involved in school by school politics and policy. What happened to the party of limited government?" a comment read.

"Funny coming from Lindsey who whines more than he breathes and snivels more than speaks," another chimed in.

Campus protests

The protests at Columbia and UCLA erupted amid broader demonstrations across campuses in the United States, primarily focusing on Palestinian human rights and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, these protests have also faced allegations of antisemitism, a charge vehemently denied by the demonstrators.

“We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us,” protest leaders in Columbia said in a statement last month. “Our members have been misidentified by a politically motivated mob.”

“We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant against non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students,” they added. “Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black, and pro-Palestinian classmates and colleagues who represent the full diversity of our country.”

Tuesday's events marked a culmination of weeks of tension, with campus authorities grappling to maintain order amidst mounting disruptions. At Columbia, an encampment protesting the Israel-Hamas conflict had been established nearly two weeks prior. However, the situation escalated when protesters occupied Hamilton Hall, leading the university to request police assistance.

Responding to the unfolding crisis, a spokesperson for Columbia emphasized the necessity of law enforcement intervention. 

“After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” the university said. “The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law."

The police crackdown at Columbia coincidentally occurred on the 56th anniversary of a similar confrontation with student activists. In the intervening weeks, similar incidents have unfolded at various campuses across the nation, resulting in over 1,000 arrests and heightened tensions between protesters, university administrations, and law enforcement, the Associated Press reported.

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