(Reuters) – Pro-Palestinian protesters briefly disrupted a graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan on Saturday, while demonstrators clashed with police at the University of Virginia, while U.S. colleges braced for more unrest during graduation festivities.
Students from across the U.S. gathered or set up tents at dozens of universities to protest the months-long war in Gaza and call on President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel, to do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. They also demand that their schools divest from companies that support the Israeli government, such as weapons suppliers.
Videos shared on social media showed dozens of students wearing traditional keffiyeh headdresses and graduation caps and waving Palestinian flags as they walked down the center aisle of Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor amid applause and boos from a crowd of thousands.
The ceremony continued and campus police escorted protesters to the back of the stadium, but no arrests were made, according to Colleen Mastony, a university spokeswoman.
“Peaceful protests like this have occurred at UM graduation ceremonies for decades,” Mastony said in a statement. “The university supports free speech and university leaders are pleased that today’s graduation was a moment of pride and triumph.”
The weekend brought more action on U.S. campuses, where contrasting opinions about Israel’s war in Gaza have emerged, sometimes violently, in recent weeks.
Many of the schools, including Columbia University in New York City, called on the police to quell the protests.
Tensions briefly flared once again Saturday at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Police in riot gear can be seen in a video moving toward a camp of pro-Palestinian protesters, handcuffing some protesters with zip ties and dragging them across the lawn.
So far, police have arrested more than 2,000 protesters at colleges across the country.
The University of Michigan is one of many universities that have altered their safety protocols for graduation ceremonies.
The school told Reuters last week that it has trained volunteer staff on how to mitigate disruptions, a change from the usual duties of guiding visitors around campus and showing them to their seats.
The anti-war protests were held in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after a Hamas attack on October 7 that Israel said killed 1,200 people. Israel killed more than 34,000 people in retaliation, according to Gaza health authorities, and razed the Palestinian territory.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Josie Kao)
