Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters disrupted UC Berkeley's commencement ceremony on Saturday, prompting acknowledgments from speakers at the podium. Most were graduating students.
The commencement ceremony held by University of California, Berkeley was interrupted by hundreds of anti-Israel protesters on Saturday morning. Most of the protesters were graduating students, wearing caps and gowns. Pictures show hundreds of students wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags and holding signage denouncing the Israeli government. The interruptions follow weeks of unrest at U.S.
Protesters were also heard yelling the controversial chant, 'Palestine will be free / From the river to the sea.' The phrase has been widely deemed antisemitic and even caused U.S. members of congress to pass a resolution condemning the use of the chant. A video posted to social media showed a group of students holding up Palestinian flags and clapping while shouting, 'End, end, the occupation.' One section was seen holding a giant Israeli flag as a counter-protest.
This wouldn’t be Berkeley without a protest,' she said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle also reported that UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ commended the anti-Israel protesters. 'They feel passionately about the brutality and the violence in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and the destruction of educational institutions,' she reportedly said of the students' weeks-long encampment.
If something happened at graduation, I don't think it would be violent,' Reece Murphy said to FOX 2. 'It would happen in a manner that is perfectly appropriate, and if someone feels strongly enough to express themselves during their graduation, they should be heard.'
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