Protests against the Israel-Hamas war have spread across U.S. college and university campuses in recent weeks, sparking disruptions and arrests. Some demonstrations extended into the weekend’s graduation celebrations, though they were muted in comparison to the encampments and rallies that roiled campuses and resulted in nearly 2,900 arrests of students and other protesters.
Most of the initial exercises went as scheduled and remained largely peaceful. Here’s a look at some of the ceremonies that included protests:
Dozens of Duke University’s 7,000 graduates left their seats to protest pro-Israel speaker and comedian Jerry Seinfeld during commencement in Durham, North Carolina, on Sunday.
Some waved the red, green, black and white Palestinian flag and shouted “Free Palestine” amid a mix of boos and applause.
Seinfeld, whose decade-long eponymous show became one of the most popular in American television history, was there to receive an honorary doctorate from the university.
The stand-up comedian and actor has publicly supported Israel since it invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas after the organization attacked the country and killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7. Ministry.
Small Pomona College in Southern California moved Sunday night’s graduation 30 miles to the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles after pro-Palestinian protesters set up a camp last week on the campus’ ceremony stage. A few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters tried to block access to the graduation event.
Pomona senior Anwar Mohmed said the school has repeatedly ignored calls to consider divestment of its endowments from companies linked to the war in Gaza.
“We have been repeatedly ignored by the institution,” Mohmed said outside the Sanctuary on Sunday. “So today we have to say it’s not business as usual.”
Student protesters at Emerson College in Boston occasionally broke into chants during Sunday’s graduation ceremony, trying to disrupt the event.
Several speakers paused briefly and then spoke louder as the chants died down and ended. Some graduates wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves. Others took off their graduation dresses and threw them onto the stage after receiving their diplomas.
Dozens of Virginia Commonwealth University graduate students walked out Saturday during 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 California, Berkeley, on Saturday, a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters waved flags and sang during graduation and were escorted to the back of the stadium, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There were no large counterprotests, but some participants expressed frustration.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill spread red paint on the steps of a building hours before school started and chanted on campus as students wearing graduation gowns posed for photos, the News & Observer reported.
A small group of protesters from the University of Wisconsin-Madison 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 carried a Palestinian flag.
Marc Lovicott, a campus police spokesman, said the group, which he believed included students because they were wearing caps and gowns, “was kind of herded out, but they left on their own.” No arrests were made.
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 the “decision makers” who control university investment until July 1.
At the University of Texas at Austin, a student raised a Palestinian flag during Saturday’s graduation ceremony and refused to leave the stage for a few moments before being escorted away by security.
In Boston, Northeastern University’s graduation ceremonies were held peacefully in the rain on May 5 at Fenway Park.
Some students waved small Palestinian and Israeli flags, but these were scattered among flags from India, the US and other nations. Graduate student speaker Rebecca Bamidele received brief applause when she called for peace in Gaza.
Police arrested about 100 protesters in Northeast last month when they broke up an encampment on campus.
A 53-year-old woman fell from the stands and died during the Ohio State University commencement ceremony on May 5, university officials said. The woman’s daughter was among those who received the diploma.
The crash happened around noon, near where the last graduates were entering Ohio Stadium. The Columbus Dispatch reported that the death was being investigated as an apparent suicide, citing coroner documents.
Police officers were nearby as some graduates holding Palestinian flags and shouting pro-Palestinian messages protested during the University of Michigan graduation on May 4. One banner read: “There are no universities left in Gaza.”
The protests were located far from the stage and did not interrupt the nearly two-hour event. Protesters demanded that Michigan cut financial ties with any companies linked to Israel. The university allowed protesters to set up a camp in the middle of campus.
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