MAY 9 • 2024 | 33
J
N
D
ozens of students
unfurled Palestinian
flags and banners
at the main commencement
ceremony of the University of
Michigan.
Of several graduation
disruptions across the
country, U-M experienced
the biggest when dozens
of students unfurled large
Palestinian flags and marched
toward the stage. According
to the New York Times, they
chanted, “Regents, regents,
you can’t hide! You are
funding genocide!” The
public university is governed
by a board of regents.
The U-M protest took place
during a speech by Carlos
Del Toro, secretary of the U.S.
Navy, the Detroit Free Press
reported. “It is indeed these
young men and women who
will protect the freedoms that
we so cherish as Americans
in our Constitution of
the United States, which
includes the right to protest
peacefully,” he said, according
to the report, that said the
protest ended without any
arrests.
Above the ceremony,
held at the U-M stadium,
an airplane streamed a pro-
Israel banner which read,
“WE STAND WITH ISRAEL.
JEWISH LIVES MATTER.”
Pro-Israel expressions
were also visible on many
campuses, with some students
decorating their caps with the
Israeli flag.
But pro-Palestinian
demonstrations erupted
during the first major
weekend of graduation
ceremonies across U.S. college
campuses. In each case,
graduation ceremonies went
on as planned.
A single student staged a
provocative demonstration
during a ceremony at
Northeastern University,
raising hands stained with red
paint as a symbol of violence
in Gaza. And a Palestinian
student speaker used her
speech to lambaste Israel’s
war against Hamas at the
University of Toledo.
The handful of dramatic
but brief interruptions that
took place over the weekend
offer concrete examples of
what kinds of protests schools
might expect over the next
several weeks, as thousands of
colleges and universities hold
their annual commencement
exercises.
Several schools, including
Columbia University, cited
upcoming commencements
as a reason to clear out
pro-Palestinian protest
encampments, saying that
students and families deserve
a ceremony free from
interruption.
One, the University of
Southern California, canceled
its main ceremony. That
decision had come after it
had selected a pro-Palestinian
valedictorian, then barred her
from speaking following what
it said was pressure from
Jewish critics.
Schools had planned for
potential interruptions,
training volunteers on how
to redirect protesters and
reiterating rules to students
and guests ahead of time.
The University of Florida,
whose chancellor has taken
a firm stance against protests
that interrupt university
activities, placed signs outside
the stadium where graduation
took place saying that protests
were not permitted inside,
according to posts on social
media.
U-M Graduation Disrupted
by Pro-Palestinian Protest
PHILISSA CRAMER JTA
OUR COMMUNITY
A student holds an
Israeli flag to counter a
pro-Palestinian protest.
PHOTOS BY NIC ANTAYA/GETTY IMAGES/JTA
A protester
carries a
Palestinian flag.