As graduation season approaches, many college seniors are getting ready to walk down the aisle and receive their diplomas. Last month, students at Columbia University established an encampment on the university’s lawn, sparking a wave of antiwar protests on college campuses across the US. Throughout the country, several graduates are protesting the Gaza war by walking out of their graduation ceremonies, wearing and waving Palestinian flags, and yelling their demands to free Palestine.
At Duke University, dozens of graduates left their seats to protest comedian Jerry Seinfeld during the ceremony. The stand-up comedian and actor was there to receive an honorary doctorate from the university. Seinfeld has publicly supported Israel since it invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas back in October of last year. While he was being introduced, the crowd was mixed with boos and cheers. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 35,000 Palestinians have died due to the ongoing war.
At UC Berkeley, protests also erupted during ceremonies on May 10 and 11. These forms of activism are similar to the UC Berkeley Protests in the 1960s, where students performed small sit-ins and large-scale rallies. Students wanted the administration to lift the ban on on-campus political activities and allow students to exercise their freedom of speech and academic freedom. These protests were a part of the Free Speech Movement and strongly related to the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement. The Free Speech Movement was the first mass act of civil disobedience on American college campuses.
At the University of Illinois Chicago, graduating student Aysha Affaneh dedicated her graduation speech to expressing solidarity with Palestine. During her speech, she called on all universities, including UIC, to divest from “companies complicit and constructing genocide” in Gaza. “Let us be the generation that holds morality close to our actions and hold each other accountable,” she said.
On May 6, Columbia University announced that they would be canceling their main graduation ceremony after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests happening on campus. “Holding a large commencement ceremony on our campus presented security concerns that unfortunately proved insurmountable,” said Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang. “Like our students, we are deeply disappointed with this outcome.”
After weeks of protests, Columbia University held a commencement ceremony for undergraduates on May 14. Video footage shows multiple students at the Ivy League school having duct tape fastened over their mouths, wearing keffiyehs, holding photos, and writing the names of Palestinians who have been killed due to the war. One graduate even went as far as ripping up her diploma on stage. Another student had “Acknowledge the Class of 2024 of Gaza and those who will never graduate” written on her cap.
