An anti-Israel protester interrupted a commencement ceremony for Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday evening.
“Everybody, can I have your attention, please?” a speaker can be heard saying. “May I ask the audience for your attention, please? We respect your passion and opinions. We respect your right to voice them in the appropriate setting. This event honors our graduates and distinguished guests and is a celebration of their achievements. Out of respect for your community and honored guests, I ask that you let us continue with this event.”
As the speaker continued, the protester was dragged out of the graduation ceremony.
Anti-Israel protesters have also interrupted and walked out of commencement ceremonies at the University of Michigan and the University of Utah. The University of Vermont also canceled a commencement speech from United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have sprouted up across the nation since the first encampment was established at Columbia University on April 17, resulting in several students getting suspended the next day and hundreds of protesters getting arrested.
Several colleges and universities have been cracking down on the protests and clearing the encampments that have overtaken their campuses.
George Washington University (GWU) President Ellen Granberg issued a statement on Sunday in which she described the encampment that still remains on the campus as not being “a peaceful protest,” which is not protect by the First Amendment or the university’s policies. Granberg said:
Before I begin, I want to make clear that I believe the issues at the heart of this protest are important and deserve our full attention and consideration. There is a dire humanitarian crisis occurring in Gaza that must be addressed, and I am personally grief-stricken by the suffering and loss of innocent lives occurring on both sides of this conflict. I fully support and encourage our community to speak out and engage in controversial and critical dialogues on these crucial issues — as long as they occur within the limits of our university’s policies and the District’s laws. However, what is currently happening at GW is not a peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment or our university’s policies. The demonstration, like many around the country, has grown into what can only be classified as an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property.
Pro-Palestinian encampments still remain on university campuses such as GWU, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Chicago, among others.
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