Pro-Palestinian protesters temporarily disrupted the University of Michigan's graduation ceremony on Saturday, as universities refrained from holding ceremonies amid rising tensions over the Gaza war.
At the Michigan Stadium ceremony, dozens of pro-Palestinian supporters wearing kaffiyeh and graduation caps could be seen unfurling Palestinian flags in the ceremony aisle as speakers chanted the school's slogan, “Go Blue.” It was done. Demonstrators marched down the center aisle toward the stage, chanting, “Regents, Regents, we cannot hide!” You are funding genocide! ”
A member of the audience could be heard yelling back, “You guys are ruining our graduation!” As university police blocked demonstrators from approaching the stage and forced them into a section at the back of the venue, some protesters in special boxes displayed Israeli flags on their seats.
Overhead, planes were flying the message: “Withdraw from Israel now!” Liberate Palestine! ” I circled the stadium. Another plane carrying a banner offered a different message: “We support Israel. Jewish lives matter.”
The Ann Arbor college is just one of many schools struggling to respond to student protests in recent weeks. Among them are Indiana University Bloomington, Northeastern University and Ohio State University, which also plan to hold graduation ceremonies this weekend.
Thirty-eight people were arrested in Ohio, according to a Times tally. He was 57 years old at Indiana University and 98 years old at Northeastern University.
The disruption added another complication to the graduation of students, many of whom had their high school senior celebrations abruptly halted in 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic.
Universities have been trying to prepare for large-scale disruption. Some schools plan to set up designated areas for protests, with the aim of allowing ceremonies to proceed without infringing on free speech.
Additionally, some schools, such as Northeastern University's ceremony at Fenway Park, are adhering to strict rules limiting what can be brought inside large ceremony venues. (Many graduation venues already had restrictions in place long before the protests.)
The University of Michigan trained volunteers working at the school's 54 ceremonies on “how to deal with chaos.”
“This could include asking someone to move a sign or stop any ongoing disruption,” University of Michigan spokeswoman Colleen Mastney said. She added: “Our goal is to support successful celebratory events.”
About 200 people gathered outside the University of Michigan Art Museum on Friday night to protest a dinner for honorary degree recipients, and a person not affiliated with the university was arrested, a university police spokesperson announced.
At least two schools have changed their graduation ceremonies in light of the ongoing protests. The University of Vermont announced Friday that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield will not give the commencement address scheduled for later this month.
And the University of Southern California canceled its valedictorian's commencement speech and celebrity speaker appearances, citing potential disruption, and even canceled its “main stage” graduation ceremony altogether. On Friday, the university announced it would instead hold a “Trojan Family Graduation Celebration” at the famous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for graduates to attend.
Over the past school year, schools across the country have responded to thousands of student protests in a variety of ways. Some governments have negotiated with demonstrators over their demands, while others have called in the police.
Although many protests have stopped without physical confrontations, clashes have included the occupation of University Hall at Columbia University, vulgar and racist abuse by white students toward protesters at the University of Mississippi, and These include violent attacks by pro-Israel protesters at universities. of Los Angeles, California.
Anna Betts and Jonathan Ellis Contributed to the report.