Anti-Israel protesters disrupted the main commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Video footage showed protesters carrying the Palestinian flag walking down the aisle towards the front of the stage during the ceremony. They were chanting slogans like “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest, disclose, divest,” which led to some heated exchanges with people in the crowd.
Additionally, a plane flew above the graduation ceremony with a message that read, “We stand with Israel. Jewish Lives Matter.” The protests at the university have been part of a larger trend of anti-Israel demonstrations and encampments on college campuses, which started at Columbia University on April 17.
During a separate commencement ceremony for the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, protesters also disrupted the event by carrying Palestinian flags and holding signs with messages like “ACAB,” “Free, free, Palestine,” and “UM Funds Genocide.” The crowd responded by asking the protesters to leave and chanting “USA! USA! USA!”
These protests have sparked demands from protesters to divest from Israeli companies, end academic ties with Israeli institutions, and call for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The demonstrations have caused disruptions and tensions on campuses across the country.
