Students must have the right to free speech but "violent protest is not protected" under the law, US President Joe Biden said, as major university campuses are gripped by unrest over Israel's war in Gaza.
"We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent. The American people are heard," Biden said on Thursday at the White House.
"In fact, peaceful protest is in the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues. But - but - neither are we a lawless country. We are a civil society and order must prevail," Biden said.
Biden said that violence, vandalism, trespassing, shutting down campuses and breaking windows do not constitute peaceful protests.
"Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest, it is against the law."
He continued: "There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for anti-Semitism or threats of violence against Jewish students."
Protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza war and in favour of solidarity with the Palestinians have been boiling over at various campuses, leading to police action at Columbia University, City College of New York, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Texas at Austin and elsewhere.
The protests have centred around demands for universities and companies to cut financial ties with Israel. While some Jewish students are taking part in these protests, others feel threatened and are staying away from the campuses.
The protests are pitting free speech against student safety and have led to major police operations to clear pro-Palestinian protest encampments.