India responds to pro-Palestine protests at US universities: 'We are judged by what we do at home'

"We are judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad." This statement by an Indian foreign ministry spokesperson about the pro-Palestinian protests in US universities is now going viral.

Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), was responding to the pro-Palestine protests that erupted at various Universities in the United States at a press briefing onon Thursday (Apr 25).

He said that there should be a right kind of balance "between freedom of expression, sense of responsibility and public safety and order."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"We have seen reports on the matter and have been following related events. In every democracy, there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, a sense of responsibility and public safety and order. Democracies in particular should display this understanding in regard to other fellow democracies. After all, we are all judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad," said Jaiswal.

On being asked if this was a concern for India as many Indian students study in the United States, Jaiswal said, "As far as your question regarding Indian students is concerned, we are always in touch with Indian students and as and when there are issues which have to be resolved, we will look into it."

Colleges and universities across America are witnessingunrest as pro-Palestinian protesters staged demonstrations on campuses, prompting administrators to take measures in order to address the escalating situation.

Netanyahu compares protesters to 1930s Nazis

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the “antisemitic surge” in the US, calling the unrest on campuses "horrific".

“Antisemitic mobs have taken over leading universities. They call for the annihilation of Israel, they attack Jewish students, they attack Jewish faculty,” Netanyahu said in a video.

He further compared the campus protests to 1930s Nazis, saying, “This is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s. It’s unconscionable. It has to be stopped. It has to be condemned unequivocally.”

“But that’s not what happened,” he added. “When you listen to them, they say not only ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to the Jews,’ but also ‘Death to America.'”

Violent clashes erupt between protesters and police in US

Meanwhile, various universities appealed to the protesters to disperse as violent clashes erupted between the police and pro-Palestinian student protesters in Texas and California.

The police arrested around 20 protesters at the University of Texas campus in Austin and also detained some of them at the University of Southern California.

The University of Texas had earlier issued a “Notice of Dispersal Order” for the protesters. The university's faculty members, meanwhile, called the police crackdown a “militarised response” to the protests.

“We have witnessed police punching a female student, knocking over a legal observer, dragging a. student over a chain link fence, and violently arresting students for simply standing at the front of the crowd,” read the statement.

The police also arrested some pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Southern California after they failed to abide by the orders of dispersal.

Some of the protesters even blocked traffic on nearby streets. At least 30 protesters were taken into custody.

(With inputs from agencies)