Senators are wary of sending the National Guard to stop campus protests

Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican and one of several lawmakers from both parties, objected, saying, “I don’t know if you need to call the National Guard, maybe you call the police.” Vance spoke on Fox News Sunday.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said on NBC’s Meet the Press that sending the National Guard to campus would bring back painful memories of the violent era of campus protests against the Vietnam War, particularly at Kent State University.

In 1970, the National Guard opened fire on a group of protesters at Kent State, Ohio, killing four students.

“I think it would be a very, very bad idea,” Kaine said of deploying the National Guard. There are ways to manage protests, using campus security, Kaine said, and “providing more opportunities for students to communicate in a way that is civil and constructive where people listen to each other.”

Lawmakers said control over demonstrations should start with local police or school authorities, while others said universities should encourage constructive dialogue among students.

Last week, Speaker Johnson condemned pro-Palestinian protests during a visit to Columbia University, saying the National Guard would have an “appropriate” role if the demonstrations were not quickly brought under control.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have intensified as criticism of US support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza increases. Protesters are gathering on college campuses across the country, camping on school grounds and demanding the administration remove institutions that support Israel and the war.

Some colleges have responded by calling police, at times arresting protesting students and professors. The University of Southern California canceled its main commencement ceremony last week due to security concerns amid growing protests. Green Party candidate Jill Stein was arrested while supporting a protest at Washington University in St. Louis.

Read more: Harvard, Yale students call for disinvestment in adamant colleges

A pro-Palestinian crowd demonstrated outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Saturday night, shouting at lawmakers and journalists attending the annual black-tie event.

Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said that most of the young people protesting on campuses are out of conviction against the war and that the US must protect their right to protest peacefully.

“In some of these campus protests, legitimate threats have been made to students on campus. And I think in those cases, campus police or local police can and should deal with those threats,” Murphy said on Fox News Sunday.

Asked if he would support sending the National Guard, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he would contact school administration first.

“Let’s see if these university presidents can take control of the situation. They should be able to do that,” McConnell said on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation.’ “The purpose of a college education is civil discussion.”

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Published: 28 April 2024, 11:52 PM IST