Dozens of Northwestern University students walked out of their commencement ceremony Sunday at the United Center in protest of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
About 50 graduates walked out wearing kaffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags as they chanted “free Palestine.” They joined dozens of current students who were waiting outside the arena to perform a mourning ceremony in honor of students in Gaza who died in the ongoing war.
Shortly after walking out, the graduates’ families joined them outside and the ceremony began. Each graduate grabbed a red rose and read the name of a student in Gaza before pinning it to a banner that read “No graduations in Gaza. To the martyrs of Palestine.”
Graduates said they chose to leave the stadium during a speech by Peter Barris, who chairs Northwestern’s board of trustees, because they felt the university was complicit in the war.
Josh Fleckner, 22, said the walkout was not meant to be disrespectful toward other graduating students but instead to show disappointment toward the university and the trustees.
“There is not a single university left in Gaza,” Fleckner said. “They’ve all been bombed to the ground, so we want to acknowledge that while we’re lucky here at Northwestern to be able to graduate, there’s so much suffering in the world.”
Fleckner also said that though he’s proud of his educational accomplishment it was more important to honor the lives lost in the war.
“It felt like the right thing to do, the necessary thing to do,” he said. “My parents are none too pleased, but we’ll figure that out later.”
Jordan Muhammad, 22, said that as she was sitting in the commencement ceremony she couldn’t help but think about the students in Gaza who will not get to graduate.
Muhammad also shared her disappointment in the university’s refusal to “condemn and acknowledge” the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and felt the institution has “done everything they could to suppress pro-Palestinian speech.”
“We should be able to honor the effort and energy that so may of us have put into pursuing higher education, but our degrees are bloodstained,” she said.
“I told my family that this is the true ceremony that I wanted to be at. I am thankful to roundup my very complicated experience at this institution surrounded by peers who have been impacted and have worked at raising consciousness and mobilizing efforts for Palestine.”
A small group of counter-protesters approached the graduates and shouted that their speeches were antisemitic.
Chicago police officers and the arena’s security helped keep the groups separated. After a few minutes, the counter-protesters left.
“The commencement ceremony is intended to honor the hard work and achievements of our student body. As other universities have experienced this commencement season, a small group of students walked out during our ceremony. We remain incredibly proud of the accomplishments of our Class of 2024,” a Northwestern spokesperson said in a statement.
Actress and alum Kathryn Hahn, who graduated from Northwestern in 1995, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.
In May, students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago protested the war as they walked across the stage during their commencement ceremony at Wintrust Arena.
Demonstrators demanded that the Art Institute cut ties with the Crown family, a major benefactor to the school. Protesters say the Crown family’s businesses profit from wars and invest in weapons manufacturing. The Crowns have contributed millions to the institute, and a member of the family sits on the board of trustees.
This month, one person was arrested amid a protest against the war in Gaza at the University of Chicago as the South Side school was holding graduation ceremonies.
The war, sparked by the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, has killed more than 36,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 1,100 people were killed in Israel.
Contributing: Associated Press