Yale University graduate students walked out of their commencement ceremony to protest Israel's war in Gaza and Yale's financial ties to arms manufacturers. The protest began as the university president began to announce the degrees, and at least 150 students stood up, turned away, and left the ceremony.

Several graduate students walked out of Yale University's commencement ceremonies on Monday to protest Israel's war in Gaza, Yale's financial ties to arms manufacturers and the response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the Ivy League campus.

The walkout began on the grounds of Yale's Old Campus, where thousands of graduates donned caps and gowns, as Yale President Peter Salovey announced the presentation of candidates for degrees by traditional colleges. At least 150 students seated in the front of the audience stood up, turned their backs toward the stage, and took their steps back into the courtyard as they marched out of the ceremony through the Phelps Gate.

Many of the protesters held small banners with slogans such as Books are not bombs and Withdraw from war. Some wore red latex gloves to mark their bloody hands. Despite cheering from fellow students in the crowd for this walkout, the protest went on peacefully without any hindrance.

Yale is one of dozens of U.S. campuses engulfed in protests over the Palestinian humanitarian crisis stemming from Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip following the bloody Oct. 7 attack on Jewish settlements by Hamas militants. The University of Southern California has cancelled its main graduation ceremony altogether after dozens of students walked out of Duke University's commencement last week to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has supported Israel throughout the war in Gaza.

Academic workers strike at UC Santa Cruz

🇺🇸🇵🇸A large group of Yale students left their graduation ceremony while wearing Keffiyehs and masks as a form of protest in support of Gaza.

Pray for Gaza.#USA #Gaza #Palestine #YaleUniversity #protest #students pic.twitter.com/FRkuamcjMQ

— Attentive Media (@AttentiveCEE) May 20, 2024

The violent attack on pro-Palestinian activists at the University of California, Los Angeles a few weeks ago echoed on the UC Santa Cruz campus on Monday. Union leaders said the main impetus for the strike was the May 2 arrest of 210 people at the site of the police demolition of a pro-Palestinian protest camp at UCLA. The night before a group of pro-Israel supporters physically attacked the camp and its occupants, which lasted at least three hours, before the police intervened to quell the riots. The university has started an investigation into the incident.

The protesters are demanding amnesty or discipline for the graduate students arrested for participating in the protests. UC Santa Cruz released a statement saying that protesters briefly blocked campus entrances in the morning, prompting the school to switch to remote instruction for the day. The University of California filed its own unfair labour practice complaint with the state's Public Employees Relations Board, asking the state government to end the strike.