President Joe Biden on Thursday rejected calls from student protesters to change his approach to the war in Gaza while insisting that “order must prevail” as college campuses across the country face a wave of violence,

President Joe Biden’s support for the Israeli military offensive in Gaza mixed with student anger over police crackdowns on anti-war campus protests are complicating the work of Democratic youth groups trying to engage classmates and other Generation Z voters ahead of this year’s election.

After days of silence from President Joe Biden on the eruption of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses nationwide, his decision to speak out Thursday served as an acknowledgement that it was unavoidable to stay quiet for much longer.

Joe Biden condemned violence, destruction and antisemitism on college campuses while defending the right for pro-Palestinian protesters to peacefully demonstrate.

Under mounting political pressure, U.S. President Joe Biden broke his silence on campus unrest over the war in Gaza on Thursday, saying Americans have the right to demonstrate but not to unleash violence.

President Joe Biden made the comment at the end of a surprise press conference on Thursday regarding campus unrest.