ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Protestors chanted and waved Palestinian flags Saturday during the University of Michigan’s commencement ceremony.
About 50 people were involved in the protests, according to The Associated Press.
When the ceremony was interrupted, the 78th U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, was addressing the crowd, CNN reported.
“I’m extremely proud as a Cuban-American who came to this country as an immigrant and who also chose to serve for 26 years in uniform to again protect the liberties of all Americans to protest peacefully in this country,” Del Toro said.
There was also a plane overhead that said “divest from Israel now! Free Palestine,” according to The New York Times. Another plane had a different banner that was in contrast said “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter.”
The University of Michigan’s deputy police chief and public information officer said that no one was arrested, according to CNN.
Universities all over the country are working to prevent major disruptions to commencement ceremonies, the Times reported. Some universities have designated an area for protests so that ceremonies can continue but free speech doesn’t get lost in the action.
The University of Michigan for one has trained many of its volunteers to help manage any disruptions. According to the newspaper, the university will be having 54 ceremonies this year.
“This might include asking someone to relocate a sign or to otherwise stop ongoing disruptive behavior,” said Colleen Mastony, a spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, according to the TimesDivest. She added, “Our goal is to support a successful and celebratory event.”
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