Watch: Students walk out of Jerry Seinfeld speech over his support for Israel
Dozens of students walked out of Duke University’s commencement ceremony on Sunday to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, over his support for Israel.
Figures in robes and caps, some waving Palestinian flags, were seen filing out of crowds of graduates assembled on the grass in the North Carolina University’s football stadium.
The video also showed several attendees leaving the viewing stands, including a person wearing a keffiyeh, which can be an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Others shouted “Jerry! Jerry!” as the actor received an honorary degree, and Seinfeld delivered his speech without major interruptions.
“A lot of you are thinking, ‘I can’t believe they invited this guy.’ Too late,” he said, after vowing to “defend” the concept of privilege.
“I say, use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian,” he added.
“We understand the depth of feeling in our community, and as we have all year, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully, without preventing graduates and their families from celebrating their achievement,” said Duke spokesperson Frank Tramble in a statement.
Seinfeld visited Israel and has vocally supported it since October 7, when militant group Hamas killed 1,200 people and abducted 252 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Meanwhile, Israel’s military operations have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave.
The White House said last Tuesday that US President Joe Biden welcomes peaceful protests at college commencement ceremonies where he and other administration officials will speak.
The walkout at Duke’s graduation was the latest manifestation of protests that have roiled campuses across the country as students call for universities to divest from arms suppliers and other companies profiting from the war, and amnesty for students and faculty who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.
The protests have prompted some US universities, including Columbia in New York and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, to cancel their main graduation ceremonies this month.
