‘All eyes are on us’: Pro-Palestinian protests divide graduates at Emerson commencement - The Boston Globe (2024)

“I’m not particularly happy with it, personally,” said Emerson graduate Ian Roper, 22, of the commencement demonstrations. “I think there should be more respect for the academic institution that we are part of. There’s a time and place for everything. And I don’t think this is necessarily a place for that.”

Jena Seng, 22, said she supported demonstrators who spoke out Sunday.

“I was cheering along with them,” Seng said. “Something like commencement, all eyes are on us. And we have this opportunity and this platform to share a greater message. And if people choose to take that time to do so, then they have every right to.”

The demonstrations, which included demands for Emerson to cut financial ties with Israel, came a couple of weeks after more than 100 protesters, including many Emerson students, were arrested in a police sweep of an encampment next to the college’s campus April 25. They also mirror protests over Israel’s handling of its war against Hamas in Gaza at campuses across the country, which have led to nearly 3,000 arrests since mid-April, according to the Associated Press.

The campus protests supporting Palestinians are demanding a cease-fire in Israel’s war with Hamas, which has killed about 35,000 people in Gaza. War broke out after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

On Sunday, Emerson criticized demonstrators for using commencement as a forum for protesting. About 1,000 undergraduates received their diplomas during the ceremony, according to the college.

“Our priority today was celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2024. We are deeply disappointed that protesters disrupted our ceremony and we strongly disapprove of the acrimony they showed toward our speakers and leaders,” the college said in a statement.

Since the Boston police sweep of the protesters next to Emerson’s campus, Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox have been criticized for using officers to clear demonstrators. Wu has argued that the protesters violated a city ordinance that prohibits people from camping on public property or rights of way in Boston.

At Emerson, the student government unanimously passed a resolution calling on Bernhardt to resign. Bernhardt is in his first year at Emerson, and the college’s Board of Trustees has said it “remains confident” in Bernhardt’s leadership.

Two days after the arrests near Emerson, police swept through an encampment at Northeastern University and arrested 97 people.

On Wednesday afternoon, about 130 people were arrested at UMass Amherst, prompting Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead to withdraw as the university’s commencement speaker. Then on Friday morning, police cleared demonstrators’ encampment from the MIT campus after they refused to leave the property. Police arrested 10 people in that crackdown.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Harvard University continued to occupy an encampment on that campus Sunday.

During Sunday’s commencement, scores of Emerson graduates wore keffiyeh scarves in support of Palestinians, and many decorated their mortarboards with messages, including calls for Emerson to divest in Israel and for a cease-fire.

Many walked into the stadium with their fists raised over their heads. As each graduate was called to the stage to receive their diploma, some protesters stripped off their robes and tossed them at Bernhardt’s feet. Underneath, some had written messages on their clothing, including “No Grad in Gaza.”

One demonstrator, whose hands were dyed red, brought commencement to a halt for a few minutes after he tried to shake Bernhardt’s hand on stage after receiving his diploma.

Bernhardt is Jewish, and some Jewish leaders have said that imagery of red hands recalls a 2000 incident in which two IDF reservists were killed in Ramallah. Bernhardt initially refused to shake the student’s hand and moved away. Bernhardt returned and briefly shook the student’s hand; the student then walked off the stage.

Sadia AboHussien, 21, who was among the graduate demonstrators Sunday, said protesters will continue demanding Emerson and other universities cut ties with Israel and calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

“What we have been screaming for the last seven months is, ‘No business as usual as long as the genocide is happening,’” AboHussien said.

Mneesha Gellman, a professor of political science at Emerson who helped organize a campus town hall following the arrests, attended the graduation. She criticized some of the actions that disrupted the commencement, including the handshake and chants during some speakers’ addresses.

She said students have the right to speak out, and she hoped they looked beyond the Emerson campus.

“It was a hard graduation to be at. I appreciate the courage and the voice of our students, and speaking up for what they believe in,” Gellman said. “I also hope that we can find ways to steer that energy toward the larger decision-makers in the world.”

Barry Marshall, president of the adjunct faculty union, wasn’t at the ceremony but learned of what happened from colleagues. He supported the right of protest but questioned some of the demonstrations Sunday.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world to have a protest at a graduation. But to go up there and actually think you’re going to rub [dye] on the president, that’s ruining it for everybody,” Marshall said.

For some graduates, many of whom missed out on high school graduations held at the height of the pandemic, feelings about Sunday’s commencement were complicated. It was a celebration, yes, but it came after a difficult few weeks at Emerson.

“It’s been a tumultuous time for sure. But Emerson students like to use their voice, and I think the school tried their best to listen to what the students had to say,” said graduate Noah Matalon, 22. “I’m just glad that we were able to get through the ceremony [and] people were able to get their voices heard.”

Charlotte O’Connor, 21, said she expected demonstrations Sunday and was focused on her graduation.

“I’m just there to get on stage, get my diploma, and give my parents what they came here for, which was to watch me graduate. I know stuff was going to happen going into it,” O’Connor said. “I respect everyone’s decisions to protest to emphasize free speech.”

Zoe Deyermond, 22, who also received her diploma Sunday, said she supported the commencement protests, which allowed demonstrators to confront school leaders directly.

“This is probably the last opportunity for the graduating class to say something to administrators about what happened April 25,” Deyermond said.

John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.