Small pro-Palestinian protests erupted sporadically Saturday as colleges and universities from North Carolina to California held graduation ceremonies, including dozens of Virginia Commonwealth University graduate students walking out of a speech by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
While some of the estimated 100 students and family members who left during the Republican governor’s speech showed support for the Palestinians, others held signs signaling opposition to Youngkin’s education policies, according to WRIC-TV.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a small group of protesters staged what appeared to be a silent protest during graduation at Camp Randall Stadium. A photo published by the Wisconsin State Journal showed about six people walking around the rear of the stadium, two of them carrying a Palestinian flag.
Marc Lovicott, a campus police spokesman, said the group, which he believed to be students because they were wearing caps and gowns, “was kind of guided out, but left on their own.” No arrests were made.
The demonstration came after pro-Palestinian protesters on campus agreed Friday to permanently dismantle their two-week camp and not disrupt graduation ceremonies in exchange for the opportunity to connect with “decision makers” who control university investments until July 1st. the university agreed to increase support for academics and students affected by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, pro-Palestinian protesters smeared red paint on the steps of a building hours before the school’s graduation ceremony and chanted on campus as students wearing light blue graduation gowns posed for photos, the report said. News. & Observer reported.
And at the University of California, Berkeley, a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters began waving flags and singing during graduation and were escorted to the back of the stadium, where they joined others, according to the San Francisco Chronicle . There were no large counterprotests, but some participants expressed frustration.
“I feel like they are ruining it for those of us who paid for the tickets and came to show our pride in our graduates,” said Annie Ramos, whose daughter is a student. “There is a time and a place, and this is not it.”
Saturday’s events were less dramatic than those that unfolded on other campuses on Friday, when police made dozens of arrests as pro-Palestinian protest camps were dismantled at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These actions came hours after police fired tear gas at protesters and destroyed a similar camp at the University of Arizona.
The Associated Press has reported at least 75 cases since April 18 in which arrests were made at protests on U.S. campuses. Nearly 2,900 people were arrested at 57 colleges and universities. The numbers are based on AP reports and statements from schools and law enforcement agencies.
At VCU, Youngkin, who also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters at Saturday’s graduation, did not appear to address students leaving the event.
“The world needs your music,” Youngkin said during his speech. “You, all of you, will be the symphony. Make it a masterpiece.
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Associated Press writers Rick Callahan in Indianapolis and Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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