Support Demonstration for Palestine at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Protests in support of Palestine and in reaction to Israel, which started at Columbia University in the USA, also found echoes at the University of Michigan. A support demonstration for Palestine that took place during the graduation ceremony at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance left its mark on the event.

• Carrying Palestinian flags, the protesters interrupted the graduation ceremony by entering the hall. Students holding banners for a free Palestine and chanting anti-Israel slogans shouted, ‘The University of Michigan is financing genocide’.
• Other attendees at the ceremony responded to the protesters with slogans such as ‘USA’ and ‘get out’. When the activists refused to leave the hall, the police intervened.
• After the protesters left the hall, the graduation ceremony continued. Warnings were displayed on the screen in the hall where the demonstration took place. The incident occurred at a time when support for Palestine and reactions to Israel were spreading across the USA.