Befitting a campus synonymous with pupil protest, the commencement ceremony on the College of California, Berkeley, on Saturday blurred the strains between pomp and pro-Palestinian activism.
When the college chancellor, Carol Christ, took the stage round 10:45 a.m. on the college’s Memorial Stadium, a smattering of boos erupted from graduating college students. However her preliminary remarks, acknowledging the scholars tenting on Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza for nearly three weeks, elicited cheers. “They really feel passionately in regards to the brutality of the violence in Gaza,” she mentioned. “I, too, am deeply troubled by the horrible tragedy.”
Because the chancellor continued, dozens of scholars within the crowd within the stands rose with indicators studying, “Divest,” and a minimum of 10 Palestinian flags. They started to chant: “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has bought to go” and “U.C. divest.” In addition they interrupted the speech by the coed physique president, Sydney Roberts, who mentioned, “This wouldn’t be Berkeley with no protest.”
Ms. Roberts continued her speech, expressing satisfaction within the activism on campus and empathy for these affected by the battle in Gaza. The chants didn’t cease. Lisa García Bedolla, vice provost, interrupted and warned that these persevering with to disrupt the ceremony could be requested to go away. That was greeted by cheers from the gang of visitors, largely college students’ households, seated in a majority of the sections.
Greta Brown, 23, a graduate in environmental science, was one of many college students who joined within the chanting. Wearing her cap, robe and a stole that mentioned “Palestine,” she mentioned she had felt the latest rigidity on campus and was compelled to help her fellow college students. “I felt prefer it was essential,” she mentioned.
A bunch of about 50 college students then staked out a bit of empty stadium seats behind the principle stage, persevering with their chanting. Tons of of Berkeley graduating college students stood up and left the designated pupil part to affix them, swelling the gang behind the stage to about 500.
Ms. Bedolla warned that safety personnel would begin eradicating protesters. She paused the speaker, and the stadium placed on Journey’s “Don’t Cease Believin’” for about 5 minutes. Ultimately, extra safety guards gathered in entrance of the protesting college students. Amid the Palestinian flags and persevering with chants, many of the protesters slowly made their method from behind the audio system to the concourse above the stadium because the commencement drew to a detailed.
About 100 of the demonstrators regrouped on the road exterior the stadium to proceed protesting, with indicators condemning Zionism and calling for alumni to not donate to the college.
“I believe it was a commencement to recollect,” mentioned Sahar Enayati, 21, a graduating senior.
