Politics
WATCH: Pro-Palestine Protesters Disrupt Commencement Ceremony At Michigan University
A group of pro-Palestine protesters interrupted the commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan on Saturday.
A night before, protesters interrupted the ceremony at the the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
Video from the scene shows protesters wrapped in Palestinian flags while chanting “ceasefire now” as they disrupted the event. They then proceeded to hold signs decorated with the Palestinian flag as they stood in front of the stage. Others held signs accusing the University of Michigan of “supporting genocide.”
The disruptions continued at the main graduation ceremony on Saturday. This time, graduating students could be seen waving Palestinian flags as they chanted “Palestine will live forever.” Other students responded by chanting “shut the f**k up.”
Students waving Palestinian flags eventually made their way to the stage, where they interrupted the commencement speech given by Michigan law graduate Brad Meltzer.
The latest disruption comes as dozens of colleges across the nation continue to cope with massive pro-Palestine protests. After a group of students formed an encampment at Columbia University last month, the movement spread to dozens of additional campuses across the nation.
In some cases, students have occupied buildings and barricaded themselves inside while providing their respective schools with a list of demands. While the protests have been broken up at a number of schools, they persist at several others, including the University of Virginia and George Washington University.
In many cases, in-person classes have been cancelled in favor of remote learning. Other schools, including the University of Southern California, have cancelled their commencement ceremonies entirely.