Pro-Palestinian students walk out at US graduation
Dozens of students walked out of Duke University's commencement ceremony on Sunday to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has supported Israel throughout the war in Gaza. About 30 of the 7,000 students present left their seats, chanting “free Palestine” amid a mix of boos and cheers. Some waved the red, green, black and white Palestinian flag. Videos posted on social media also showed several attendees leaving the viewing stands, including a person wearing a keffiyeh, which can be an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Others shouted "Jerry! Jerry!" as the actor received an honorary degree, and Seinfeld delivered his speech without major interruptions. "A lot of you are thinking, 'I can't believe they invited this guy.' Too late," he said, after vowing to "defend" the concept of privilege. "I say, use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian," he added. "We understand the depth of feeling in our community, and as we have all year, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully, without preventing graduates and their families from celebrating their achievement," said Duke spokesperson Frank Tramble in a statement. The walkout at Duke's graduation was the latest manifestation of protests that have roiled US campuses as students call for universities to divest from arms suppliers and other companies profiting from the war, and amnesty for students and faculty who have been disciplined or fired for protesting. At Emerson College in Boston, chants interrupted remarks by the school's president during its commencement ceremony on Sunday. Some students could be seen on a recording of the event walking across the stage to receive their degrees carried signs of their support for Palestinians, including one woman who unfurled a Palestinian flag. The protests have prompted US universities such as Columbia in New York and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to cancel their main graduation ceremonies this month. Other colleges and universities have relocated or modified commencement ceremonies. (Agencies)