Protests over\u00a0the Israel-Hamas war\u00a0have spread across U.S. university and college campuses in recent weeks, leading to disruptions and arrests. Some demonstrations extended into weekend graduation celebrations, although they were muted in comparison to the encampments and rallies that have roiled campuses and\u00a0resulted in nearly\u00a02,900 arrests of students and other protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the\u00a0commencement exercises\u00a0took place as scheduled and\u00a0remained largely peaceful. Here is a look at some of the\u00a0ceremonies\u00a0that included protests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dozens of the 7,000 graduates at Duke University left their seats to protest pro-Israel speaker and comedian Jerry Seinfeld during the commencement in Durham, North Carolina, on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some waved the red, green, black and white Palestinian flag and chanted \u201cFree Palestine\u201d amid a mix of boos and cheers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seinfeld, whose decade-long namesake show became one of the most popular in U.S. television history, was there to receive an honorary doctorate from the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stand-up comedian and actor has publicly supported Israel since it invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas after the organization attacked the country and killed some\u00a01,200 people in southern Israel\u00a0on Oct. 7. The ensuing war has killed more than\u00a035,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Southern California\u2019s small Pomona College moved Sunday evening\u2019s commencement 30 miles (48 kilometers) to the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles after pro-Palestinian protesters set up an encampment last week on the campus\u2019 ceremony stage. A few dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to block access to the graduation event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anwar Mohmed, a Pomona senior, said the school repeatedly ignored calls to consider divesting its endowment funds from corporations tied to the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been time and time again ignored by the institution,\u201d Mohmed said outside the Shrine on Sunday. \u201cSo today we have to say, it\u2019s not business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Student protesters at Emerson College in Boston occasionally erupted into chants during Sunday\u2019s commencement ceremony, trying to disrupt the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several speakers stopped briefly and then spoke louder while the chants died down and ended. Some graduates wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves. Others took off their graduation gowns and dropped them on the stage after receiving their diplomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dozens of graduating students at Virginia Commonwealth University walked out Saturday during an address by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some of the estimated 100 students and family members who left during the Republican governor\u2019s speech showed support for Palestinians, others held signs signaling opposition to Youngkin\u2019s policies on education, according to\u00a0WRIC-TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the University of California, Berkeley, on Saturday, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators waved flags and chanted during commencement and were escorted to the back of the stadium,\u00a0according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There were no major counterprotests, but some attendees voiced frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill splattered red paint on the steps of a building hours ahead of the school\u2019s commencement and chanted on campus while students wearing graduation gowns posed for photos, the\u00a0News & Observer reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small group of demonstrators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison staged what appeared to be a silent protest during commencement at Camp Randall Stadium. A photo posted by the Wisconsin State Journal showed about six people walking through the rear of the stadium. Two carried a Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marc Lovicott, a spokesperson for campus police, said the group, which he believed included students because they were wearing caps and gowns, \u201cwas kind of guided out, but they left on their own.\u201d No arrests were made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pro-Palestinian protesters at the campus had agreed Friday to permanently dismantle their 2-week-old encampment and not disrupt graduation ceremonies in return for the opportunity to connect with \u201cdecision-makers\u201d who control university investments by July 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the University of Texas at Austin, a student held up a Palestinian flag during Saturday\u2019s commencement ceremony and refused to leave the stage briefly before being escorted away by security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Boston, commencement ceremonies for Northeastern University were held peacefully in the rain on May 5 at Fenway Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some students waved small Palestinian and Israeli flags, but those were dotted among flags from India, the U.S. and other nations. Undergraduate student speaker Rebecca Bamidele drew brief cheers when she called for peace in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police arrested about 100 protesters at Northeastern last month when they broke up an encampment on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 53-year-old woman fell from the stands to her death during the May 5 graduation ceremony for Ohio State University, university officials said. The woman\u2019s daughter was among those receiving a diploma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fall happened around midday near where the last graduates were filing into Ohio Stadium.\u00a0The Columbus Dispatch reported\u00a0the death was being investigated as an apparent suicide, citing coroner documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police officers stood nearby as some graduates holding Palestinian flags and shouting pro-Palestinian messages protested during commencement at the University of Michigan on May 4. One banner said, \u201cNo universities left in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protests were located away from the stage and didn\u2019t stop the nearly two-hour event. Protesters have demanded Michigan cut financial ties with any companies connected to Israel. The university allowed protesters to set up an encampment in the middle of campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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