Biden's Speech on Pro-Palestinian Protests Analyzed for Fascist Elements

Extract

[...] 'Peaceful protests are part of our American traditions in the face of problems,' Biden said. 'But we are not a lawless country either.' 'We are a civil society and order must prevail.' « Dissent is essential to democracy," Biden continued. "But dissent should never lead to disorder or the denial of others' rights." It is necessary that students be able to finish the semester and their university studies." The rhetoric of 'anarchic' protests, with demands that 'order must prevail' and dissent must be confined within predetermined limits, echoes the fascist rhetoric that world leaders have historically used to crush public resistance. [...]

[...] In his remarks, Biden falsely claimed - without citing a single case of pro-Palestinian protesters inciting violence - that the pro-Palestinian protests had been violent and threatened the safety of their communities. He then condemned the alleged 'anarchic nature' of the protests, deliberately ignoring the role of the United States in Israel's repeated violations of international law. The speech was a veiled threat against protesters who opposed Biden's policy towards Gaza (by setting up protest camps on campuses, or using disruptive strategies to impose a ceasefire). [...]

[...] But we must be prepared to identify other forms of novlangue, even when they take the innocent form of a reality TV show or a presidential speech, as in this case. By making these statements, Biden tries to tarnish the image of the protests in a manipulative speech without citing concrete evidence. 13/ Fascism is based on selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say. In a democracy, citizens enjoy individual rights, but the group of citizens has a political impact only from a quantitative point of view: the decisions of the majority are followed. [...]

[...] To support these points, we will cite other parts of his speech that confirm our analysis; « Violent protests are not protected, peaceful protests are. » Violence is against the law. The destruction of property is not a peaceful protest. « That's the opposite of the law », Biden said, using a changing definition of violence to blur the lines between violence against people and property destruction. « Vandalism, intrusions, breaking windows, closing campuses, forced cancellation of classes and diploma ceremonies - none of that is a peaceful protest », he continued. [...]