(StraightNews.org) – The White House announced new measures to tackle antisemitism as it marked Holocaust Memorial Day on May 5. The President visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, to deliver what commentators suggested would be a closely watched speech, given the anti-Israel protests raging on college campuses across the United States.
During the speech, President Biden cited a documented rise in antisemitism in America. Accompanied by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrat House leader Hakeem Jeffries, the President stated that the United States is committed to learning the lessons of the Holocaust and called for continued vigilance against a hatred that “continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people.”
Addressing the October 7 attacks on Israel last year, the President said people had already forgotten the terror unleashed on innocent Jewish civilians. “It was Hamas that brutalized Israelis,” he said before declaring that he had not forgotten this and would not forget.
President Biden directly referenced the unfolding campus protests and condemned chants calling for the “annihilation of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.”
Among the new proposals to confront American antisemitism is guidance from the Department of Education that will be sent to every school district in the country and contain examples of antisemitic hatred that could result in Civil Rights Act investigations.
Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security will work with universities to provide safety resources, and technology firms will be invited to discuss how to address antisemitic content online.
American universities are under intense scrutiny since anti-Israel protestors established encampments at New York’s Columbia University that were copied nationwide. Police have made hundreds of arrests amid clashes, building occupations, and the lowering of the American flag. Among the chants and slogans reported were “Brick by brick, wall by wall, Israel will fall” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be Arab.” Some Jewish students reported being harassed and prevented from attending classes.
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