Forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday morning after pro-Palestinian student protestors occupied a central building on Columbia University's campus on Monday night.
"That is not an example of peaceful protest," Kirby said.
As the anti-Israel protest movement spreads to campuses across the country, the White House has maintained its support of free speech expression while condemning hate speech and antisemitism.
The White House has carefully avoided weighing in over the question of law enforcement and the National Guard being brought in to disperse protestors and encampments, saying it's up to each individual governor to make the decision to enact the National Guard.
"A small percentage of students shouldn't be able to disrupt the academic experience, the legitimate study, for the rest of the student body," Kirby said. "Students paying to go to school and wanting an education ought to be able to do that without disruption, and they ought to be able to do it and feel safe doing it."
"They certainly deserve to be able to graduate and participate in a graduation ceremony," he added.