Scores of graduating students at Yale University staged a walkout during Monday’s commencement ceremony to protest the Israeli war in Gaza, Yale’s financial ties to weapons manufacturers, and the university’s response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
The walkout occurred as Yale President Peter Salovey began the traditional presentation of candidates for degrees on the university’s Old Campus. Approximately 150 students stood up, turned their backs to the stage, and exited through Phelps Gate, retracing their steps from the processional into the yard.
The protesters carried banners with slogans such as “Books not bombs” and “Divest from war,” and some wore red latex gloves symbolizing bloodied hands. Other signs read “Drop the charges” and “Protect free speech,” referencing the arrest of 45 individuals during a police crackdown on recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations in New Haven.
The walkout was met with cheers from other students but did not disrupt the ceremony, and no mention of the protest was made from the stage. This action is part of a broader wave of student activism on U.S. campuses in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israeli settlements.
At the University of Southern California, the main graduation ceremony was canceled, and students at Duke University walked out last week in protest against guest speaker Jerry Seinfeld’s support for Israel. At the University of California, Santa Cruz, academic workers staged a protest strike in solidarity with pro-Palestinian activists, following a violent confrontation at UCLA that resulted in numerous arrests and injuries.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Dartmouth College also narrowly voted to censure President Sian Beilock for her decision to involve police in dismantling a pro-Palestinian encampment, leading to the arrest of 89 individuals.
Much of the activism focuses on universities’ financial ties with Israel and U.S. military programs benefiting the country, with pro-Palestinian protests often branded as antisemitic by pro-Israel supporters, challenging the boundaries between free speech and hate speech.
At UC Santa Cruz, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4811 organized the strike, representing some 2,000 academic workers on campus and about 48,000 across the University of California system. The union is demanding amnesty for graduate students arrested during protests and fairer labor practices in handling demonstrations.
The University of California has filed an unfair labor practice complaint seeking to halt the strike. UC Santa Cruz switched to remote instruction for the day after demonstrators briefly blocked campus entrances.
