The protests are over the Israel-Hamas war have spread across American college and university campuses in recent weeks, leading to disruptions and arrests. Some protests extended into weekend graduation celebrations, although they were toned down compared to the encampments and rallies that rocked campuses and resulted in almost 2,900 arrests of students and other demonstrators.
Most beginning exercises went as planned and remained largely peaceful. Here’s a look at some of the ceremonies which included protests:
DUKE UNIVERSITY
Dozens of Duke University’s 7,000 graduates walked out of their seats to protest president and pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld at the commencement ceremony in Durham, North Carolina, on Sunday.
Some waved the red, green, black and white Palestinian flag and chanted “Free Palestine” amid a mix of boos and cheers.
Seinfeld, whose eponymous show became one of the most popular in American television history for a decade, was there to receive an honorary doctorate from the university.
In this photo provided by Duke University, speaker Jerry Seinfeld laughs on stage during the school’s graduation ceremony, Sunday, May 12, 2024, in Durham, N.C. (Bill Snead/Duke University via AP )
The comedian and actor has publicly supported Israel since it invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas after the organization attacked the country and killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7. The war that followed killed more than 35,000 Palestiniansaccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
POMONA COLLEGE
Small Pomona College in Southern California moved Sunday night’s commencement ceremony 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles after pro-Palestinian protesters set up an encampment last week on the campus ceremony stage. A few dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to block access to the graduation ceremony.
Anwar Mohmed, a Pomona High School student, said the school has repeatedly ignored calls to consider divestment of its endowment funds from companies linked to the Gaza war.
“We have been repeatedly ignored by the institution,” Mohmed said in front of the shrine on Sunday. “So today we have to say it’s not business as usual.”
EMERSON COLLEGE
Student protesters at Emerson College in Boston occasionally sang chants during Sunday’s opening ceremony, trying to disrupt the event.
Several speakers stopped briefly and then spoke louder as the chants died down and ended. Some graduates wore Palestinian keffiyehs. Others took off their gowns and placed them on stage after receiving their diplomas.
COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Dozens of graduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University walked out Saturday during a speech by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
While some of the nearly 100 students and family members who walked out during the Republican governor’s speech showed support for the Palestinians, others held signs signaling their opposition to Youngkin’s education policies, according to WRIC-TV.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
At the University of California, Berkeley, on Saturday, a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters waved flags and chanted during the opening ceremony and were escorted to the back of the stadium: according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There were no major counter-protests, but some participants expressed frustration.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
Pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill splashed red paint on the steps of a building hours before school started and chanted across campus as students in gowns graduates posed for photos, the News & Observer reported.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
A small group of protesters from the University of Wisconsin-Madison staged what appeared to be a silent demonstration during the opening at Camp Randall Stadium. A photo published by the Wisconsin State Journal showed about six people walking around the back of the stadium. Two carried a Palestinian flag.
Marc Lovicott, campus police spokesman, said the group, which he said included students because they were wearing caps and gowns, “was sort of guided out, but they left on their own.” No arrests have been made.
Pro-Palestinian protesters on campus agreed Friday to permanently dismantle their two-week-old encampment and not disrupt graduation ceremonies in exchange for the opportunity to connect with the “decision makers” who control university investments in here on July 1st.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
At the University of Texas at Austin, a student waved a Palestinian flag during Saturday’s commencement ceremony and refused to briefly leave the stage before being escorted away by security.
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
In Boston, the opening ceremonies of Northeastern University took place peacefully and in the rain on May 5 at Fenway Park.
Some students waved small Palestinian and Israeli flags, but these were dotted with flags of India, the United States and other countries. Undergraduate student speaker Rebecca Bamidele drew brief applause when she called for peace in Gaza.
Police arrested about 100 protesters at Northeastern last month when they broke up an encampment on campus.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
A 53-year-old woman fell from the bleachers to her death during the May 5 graduation ceremony at Ohio State University, university officials said. The woman’s daughter was among the graduates.
The fall happened around noon, near where the final graduates were entering Ohio Stadium. The Columbus Dispatch reported the death was being investigated as an apparent suicide, citing coroner’s documents.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Police officers stood nearby as some graduates waved Palestinian flags and shouted pro-Palestinian messages during a commencement protest at the University of Michigan on May 4. A banner read: “No more universities in Gaza.”
The protests took place away from the stage and did not interrupt the nearly two-hour event. Protesters called on Michigan to cut financial ties with all companies linked to Israel. The university allowed protesters to set up an encampment in the middle of campus.
News Source : apnews.com
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