Anti-Israel activists across the country disrupted graduation ceremonies on Friday and Saturday, after weeks of demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war disrupted campus life.
The intensity of the demonstrations varied at each graduation ceremony, with some graduates engaging in disruptive behavior and others holding quiet demonstrations.
Here are some of the protests that spread from California to North Carolina.
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Anti-Israel demonstrators demonstrate during graduation ceremonies at UT Austin and UC Berkeley. (Getty Images)
virginia commonwealth university
Dozens of Virginia Commonwealth University graduates and their families emerged from the auditorium Saturday during Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s commencement speech.
Some showed support for the Palestinians, while others held placards opposing Youngkin’s education policies. According to WRIC-TV.
University of Arizona
Ahead of Friday’s graduation ceremony, police used tear gas on protesters and took control of an encampment on the Tucson campus.
The school said police vehicles were spiked and rocks and water bottles were thrown at officers.
Administrators said structures made of wooden pallets and other debris were erected on campus grounds after 5 p.m. Thursday, in violation of school policy. The university said its warnings to clear and disperse the encampment were ignored.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A small group of demonstrators in Wisconsin staged what appeared to be a silent protest during the opening ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium. A photo published by the Wisconsin State Journal showed about six people walking behind the stadium, two of them holding Palestinian flags.
The demonstrations began on Friday, when anti-Israel demonstrators on campus announced they would permanently end their two-week camp in exchange for a chance to contact “decision makers” who control investments in the university by July 1. It happened after they agreed not to remove it and disrupt the graduation ceremony.
The university agreed to step up support for academics and students affected by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, anti-Israel demonstrators sprayed red paint on the steps of the prime minister’s official residence hours before the graduation ceremony.
A group of several dozen protesters gathered on the lawn surrounding the old well and began chanting as students and families took graduation photos. Demonstrators then observed a 15-minute silence in honor of the thousands of people reportedly killed in Gaza since October by Hamas terrorists. attacked Israel and provoked military retaliation from the Israeli military.
University of Texas at Austin
At the University of Texas at Austin, a student displayed a Palestinian flag during a graduation ceremony, refused to leave the venue, and was escorted away by security.
After classes began, graduate students, faculty and demonstrators walked out of the stadium holding “Liberate Palestine” flags, while others held up their hands painted red.
University of California, Berkeley
Hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators disrupted graduation ceremonies at the University of California, Berkeley on Saturday, waving flags and chanting. Most were graduates in caps and gowns.
Photos showed hundreds of students wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags and holding signs denouncing Israel. The demonstrators were taken to the rear of the stadium, where they joined other protesters.
duke university
On Sunday, dozens of Duke University graduates attended comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech, some chanting “Liberate Palestine.”
Student protesters staged a walkout just before Mr. Seinfeld, who is Jewish and a vocal supporter of Israel, was introduced.
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Some students held up Palestinian flags as they left the stadium. Other graduates and guests shouted, “Jerry! Jerry!” when the comedian took the stage to receive an honorary degree.
Despite the chaos, Seinfeld managed to give a speech.
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The Associated Press has documented at least 75 arrests at protests on U.S. campuses since April 18. Nearly 2,900 people were arrested at 57 universities. The numbers are based on reporting from The Associated Press and statements from schools and law enforcement agencies.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
