Anti-Israel agitators across the United States disrupted opening ceremonies Friday and Saturday after weeks of protests against the Israel-Hamas War who turned campus life upside down.
The intensity of the protests varied between commencement ceremonies, with some graduates engaging in disruptive behavior and others protesting silently.
Here’s a preview some of the demonstrations it happened, from California to North Carolina.
Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate during commencement ceremonies at UT Austin and UC Berkeley. (Getty Images)
COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Dozens of Virginia Commonwealth University graduate students and their families Saturday got out from the auditorium during a keynote address by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
While some showed support for the Palestinians, others held signs signaling their opposition to Youngkin’s education policies, according to WRIC-TV.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Police used tear gas on protesters and destroyed an encampment on the Tucson campus before commencement celebrations Friday.
The school said police vehicles were rammed and rocks and water bottles were thrown at officers.
Administrators said a structure made of wooden pallets and other debris was erected on campus property after 5 p.m. Thursday, in violation of school policy. The university said its warnings to remove the encampment and disperse had been ignored.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
A small group of protesters from Wisconsin staged what appeared to be a silent demonstration during the opening at Camp Randall Stadium. A photo published by the Wisconsin State Journal shows about six people walking behind the stadium, two of them carrying a Palestinian flag.
The demonstration took place after anti-Israel protesters on campus agreed Friday to permanently dismantle their two-week-old encampment and not disrupt graduation ceremonies in exchange for the opportunity to contact students. “decision makers” who control university investments between now and July 1.
The university has agreed to increase its support for academics and students affected by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, anti-Israel protesters splashed red paint on the steps of the building that houses the chancellor’s office hours before the school’s commencement ceremony.
A group of several dozen protesters was on the lawn encircling Old Well, where they began chanting while students and their families took graduation photos. Protesters then observed a 15-minute moment of silence in honor of the thousands of people believed to have been killed in Gaza since October, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and triggered military retaliation by Israeli forces.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN
At the University of Texas at Austin, a student waved a Palestinian flag during a commencement ceremony and refused to briefly leave the stage before being escorted away by security.
After the ceremony, graduate students, professors and protesters filed out of the stadium waving a “Free Palestine” flag, while others raised their red-painted hands.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
At the University of California at Berkeley on Saturday, hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators disrupted an opening ceremony waving flags and chanting. Most were graduate students wearing caps and gowns.
The photos show hundreds of students wearing kaffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags and holding signs denouncing Israel. The protesters were escorted to the rear of the stadium, where they were joined by others.
DUKE UNIVERSITY
Dozens of Duke University graduate students walked out of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech on Sunday, some chanting “Free Palestine.”
The student protesters staged the walkout just as Seinfeld, who is Jewish and a strong supporter of Israel, was being featured.
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Some students carried Palestinian flags as they left the stadium. Other graduates and guests chanted “Jerry!” Jerry! as the comedian took the stage to receive an honorary diploma.
Despite the disruptions, Seinfeld managed to deliver his speech.
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The Associated Press has recorded at least 75 cases of arrests since April 18 during protests on American campuses. Nearly 2,900 people were arrested at 57 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from schools and law enforcement.
Landon Mion of Fox News Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
