IU Bloomington students protest at grad ceremony, walk out during president’s speech

Pro-Palestinian protests interrupt commencement ceremonies

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — This weekend, pro-Palestinian protests interrupted college graduation ceremonies across the United States, including in Indiana.

At Indiana University’s graduation in Bloomington, several protestors walked out during the university president’s speech.

The group called “IU on Strike” posted a video on X showing students walking out of Memorial Stadium during the commencement ceremony.

Along with the video, the post says, “IU students staged a graduation walkout to protest IU’s complicity in Gaza genocide. As President Whitten spoke, over 50 grads wearing keffiyehs over their gowns walked out of the stadium chanting “Free Palestine” while a plane (with) a “Let Gaza Live” banner flew overhead.”

The IU Bloomington campus had designated a protest zone outside Memorial Stadium ahead of the graduation ceremony.

IU Bloomington was not alone in weekend protests.

Students protesting the war in Gaza in Los Angeles cleared an encampment at the University of Southern California early Sunday after being surrounded by police and threatened with arrest. USC called off its main commencement ceremony citing security concerns.

Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, now the president of the University of Florida, says schools need to step up ahead of graduation celebrations.     

“You don’t get to take over the whole university, people don’t get to spit at cops. You don’t get a barricade yourselves in buildings. You don’t get to disrupt somebody else’s commencement,” Sasse told CNN.

Since April, more than 2,000 protesters have been arrested on college campuses around the country.