PODCAST. The young peril of Joe Biden

Will the presidential election also be played out in universities? This is the subject of the 4th episode of Washington d’ici, the original podcast with correspondents from public French-speaking media.

In New York, California, the Rockies, Texas: American campuses have been on fire since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “Free Palestine” camps have sprung up in universities to protest against the policies of United States President Joe Biden towards Israel, and to demand an end to the war in Gaza. “You should know that there is always a particular, exceptional position of the United States in relation to Israelexplains Frédéric Arnould, Radio-Canada correspondent. It’s unwavering support and so, in a way, Joe Biden is no exception to that rule.”

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, then the Israeli response, the death toll has stood at more than 35,000, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. Through these demonstrations on American campuses, students are demanding “an immediate ceasefire”but “they also ask universities which are still large private companies which invest for pension funds, which invest to make money in companies which, in this case, sometimes do business with Israel, we are talking here manufacturers, armaments and therefore they ask that these universities divest”continues Frédéric Arnould.

Harvard, Stanford, Yale, debates are sometimes heated in several prestigious universities in the United States, between supporters of both camps. At George Washington University, located in the federal capital, a camp was organized before being evacuated by the police. “It’s really tragic to see that in some cases the authorities, the people who are sworn to protect us, are brutalizing our students or doing nothing to protect themtestifies Kayla, one of the spokespersons for the GWU camp, speaking to Guillaume Naudin of RFI. It simply shows America’s complicity in the repression and in this occupation. It shows that our universities are so linked to this genocide that they actively finance it, that they are ready to repress and attack their own students for not meeting our demands.”

“In Congress, elected officials are asking to broaden the definition of anti-Semitism to include criticism of the Jewish state. It’s really a subject that has become very political.”

Sonia Dridi, RTBF correspondent in the United States

“I was very curious to see who was demonstrating and it was really students of all originsnotes Sonia Dridi, RTBF correspondent. One of the first protesters I spoke to was a Jewish student who told me that she was a descendant of Holocaust survivors and grew up knowing that we had to speak out against genocides and that for her, it was quite lazy to characterize these demonstrations as anti-Semitic, ultimately means believing that all those who support the pro-Palestinian movement are anti-Semites. It’s also a way to attract attention elsewhere.”

Joe Biden remained silent for several days, before finally speaking. “There is the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaosdid he declare. People have the right to receive an education, the right to get a degree, to walk across campus safely without fear of being attacked. Anti-Semitism and threats of violence against Jewish students have no place on campus, or in America. There is no place for hate speech or violence in any form. Whether it’s anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans.”

A call for calm from the President towards the student electorate. “It’s certain that there are certain red lights that are starting to flash on the Democrats’ dashboardbelieves Frédéric Arnould. So there, he tries as best he can, because it’s complicated for him, because there is this always unwavering support from Israel. But at the same time, he must show that he hears this protest. So little by little, we feel that the speech of Biden and the Democrats is softening a little.”

“Joe Biden is trying not to alienate these voters, because if these young people don’t come out in November to vote for him, he obviously has to show that he is listening to them and that, it is important.”

Frédéric Arnould, Radio-Canada correspondent in the United States

“The youth vote is not crucial, but it is important”, estimates Sonia Dridi, specifying that in 2020, the 18-29 year old group is the one who voted most strongly for Joe Biden. Why are young people important? “It’s because they are the ones who, on the ground, are mobilizing. They are the ones who are dynamic in campaigning, going door to door. So it’s not so much that their vote will be decisive for the election of Joe Biden is that they can mobilize.”

What is the role of the Republicans? “The Republicans hope to take advantage of this situation by trying to bring an anti-Semitism trial to all these demonstrationsestimates Jordan Davis of RTS. There was bipartisan consensus around Israel for decades. There, it’s really starting to happen and especially with Joe Biden, who described himself as a Zionist himself, and who is saying ‘Wait, I’m going to say stop to Benjamin Netanyahu’, we have to ask limits.”

“Washington d’ici” is a podcast from French-speaking public media. Once a month, correspondents from franceinfo, RTBF, Radio-Canada, RTS and RFI decipher, in their own way, the very latest news from the campaign for the 2024 American presidential election. With Sébastien Paour (franceinfo), Jordan Davis (RTS), Frederic Arnould (Radio-Canada), Sonia Dridi (RTBF) and Guillaume Naudin (RFI). Director: Philippe Benoit (RTBF) and Régis De Rath (RTBF).