Need balance between free speech and public order: India on US campus protests

No Indian embassy or consulate in the US had yet been approached by Indian students or families seeking assistance on the matter, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addresses the ministry's weekly media briefing on May.2. / Screengrab/Ministry of External Affairs, India YouTube

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on May.2 that India had been following campus protests across the US against Israeli military operations in Gaza and called for a "right balance” between freedom of expression, sense of responsibility and public safety in every democracy. Jaiswal also said that he expects all citizens, both home and abroad, to respect local laws and regulations.

Jaiswal also confirmed that no Indian embassy or consulate in the US had yet been approached by students or families seeking help regarding any disciplinary action that might have been imposed on them for participation in university protests.

“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, sense of responsibility and public safety and order,” the spokesperson said.

“We expect all our citizens at home and abroad to respect local laws and regulations,” Jaiswal added.

Around 200 individuals were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on the UCLA campus on May.2, media reports have indicated.

In a recent statement, Indian American Republican Nikki Haley also emphasized the need for law and order, advocating for the expulsion of international students participating in pro-Palestinian protests across various American universities.

Calling for the arrest of those breaking the law or violating school policies, Haley said, “We need law and order. Any international student participating should be sent back to their country. Any student violating school policy should be expelled. Anyone breaking the law should be arrested. Breaking the rules does not entitle you to a free ride. This isn’t hard.”

Recently, the arrest of Achinthya Sivalingam, an Indian-origin student, during a pro-Palestine protest at Princeton University made headlines. Sivalingam has been banned from the university pending a disciplinary process, along with fellow student Hassan Sayed.

Comments

Sam Patel

2024-05-03 00:00:00

In the USA, threatening to bring down an airline CAN be free speech. It all depends how you make the threat. Look at the case of a wanted absconding criminal turned international Khalistani terrorist. Just don't use the words, Bomb, Blow, and other direct language instead just warn that "you should avoid flying any airline owned by a certain company or country" that would be like Bin Laden saying "I had a vision of the WH in flames after a huge something fell on it in 2027". Now that would be free speech. But horrible FREE SPEECH, which law was created for journalists and news companies to post news as it happened and when it happened and not predictions or opinions.