A University of Minnesota graduation ceremony was repeatedly beset by interruptions as graduating students made pro-Palestine displays and attendees responded with deafening applause, according to a parent who attended the ceremony.
On Sunday, May 12, a graduation ceremony was held at the 3M Arena at Mariucci for the 2024 class of the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts. There was a morning and evening ceremony and both were disrupted, according to videos of the ceremonies published by the university.
To clarify, the disruptions were caused by graduating seniors who waved pro-Palestine banners as they received their diplomas, thus eliciting extended, raucous applause from the audience.
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) May 14, 2024
In a video provided to Alpha News, students at the event displayed Palestinian flags as the arena broke into extended, raucous applause. According to one parent who attended the ceremony, graduating students continually displayed banners as they walked across the stage. On those banners, students wrote phrases such as “Divest UMN,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “From the River to the Sea.”
🇵🇸2024 UMN GRADS STAND WITH PALESTINE! DIVEST UMN NOW!🇵🇸
Part 1: Students at the CLA undergrad commencement ceremonies held banners calling for divestment and Palestine flags as they crossed the stage, receiving roaring applause from the audience pic.twitter.com/WoyzW39rDa
— UMN SDS (@UMNSDS) May 13, 2024
According to a parent who spoke to Alpha News, a “From the River to the Sea” message received the strongest applauding reaction from those in the arena.
“The University of Minnesota Administration completely lost control of the graduation ceremonies, led by Dean Ann Waltner. She just sat there, dumbfounded, as student after student turned our daughter’s graduation into an anti-Semitic hate rally,” said a parent of one of the graduates.
Alpha News reached out to the University of Minnesota to inquire about the situation, but the university did not respond.
🇵🇸2024 UMN GRADS STAND WITH PALESTINE! DIVEST UMN NOW!🇵🇸
Part 2: Students at the CLA undergrad commencement ceremonies held banners calling for divestment and Palestine flags as they crossed the stage, receiving roaring applause from the audience pic.twitter.com/Co7ZTsiE1L
— UMN SDS (@UMNSDS) May 14, 2024
Just days ago, student protesters who established a pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus eventually decided to disassemble the encampment after reaching an agreement with school leaders. In the agreement, protest organizers reportedly said they would not organize disruptions at commencement activities.
It is unclear if graduating students at Sunday’s commencement were affiliated with the encampment or the agreement not to organize disruptions at commencement activities.
Throughout this commencement season, college graduation ceremonies across the country have been interrupted by protesters.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
