Yale alumni organize pro-Palestinian protest during commencement ceremony | Global News

Scores of graduating students at Yale University staged a walkout from their commencement exercises on Monday, protesting the Israeli war in Gaza, Yale’s financial ties to weapons makers, and its response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.

As Yale President Peter Salovey began announcing the candidates for degrees, at least 150 students stood up, turned their backs to the stage, and marched out of the ceremony carrying banners with slogans like “Books not bombs” and “Divest from war.” The protest, which drew cheers from fellow students, remained peaceful.

The walkout is part of a larger wave of protests on US campuses over the Palestinian humanitarian crisis resulting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony, and students at Duke University walked out of commencement to protest guest speaker Jerry Seinfeld’s support for Israel.

Meanwhile, at UC Santa Cruz, academic workers staged a protest strike organized by their union in response to a violent attack on pro-Palestinian activists at UCLA. The strike, supported by the United Auto Workers, demanded fair labor practices and amnesty for grad students arrested during protests.

The wave of student activism has highlighted the tensions between freedom of expression and hate speech, with many schools calling in police to quell demonstrations. The protests reflect a growing movement on campuses to challenge academic institutions’ financial ties with Israel and US military programs benefiting the Jewish state.