Jerry Seinfeld’s support for Israel prompts Duke University speech walkout

Durham: Dozens of students walked out of Duke University’s commencement ceremony on Sunday as some chanted “free Palestine” to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has supported Israel throughout the war in Gaza.

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 in the video posted on X, verified by Reuters.

The video also showed several attendees leaving the viewing stands, including a person wearing a keffiyeh, 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.”

Duke spokesman Frank Tramble said in a statement: “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.”

Seinfeld visited Israel and has vocally supported it since October 7 when militant group Hamas killed 1200 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 on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden welcomed peaceful protests at college commencement ceremonies where he and other administration officials would speak.

The walkout at Duke’s graduation was the latest manifestation of protests that have roiled US campuses as students call for universities to divest from arms suppliers and other companies profiting from the war, and amnesty for students and faculty members who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.

At Emerson College in Boston, chants interrupted remarks by the school’s president during its commencement ceremony on Sunday. Some students could be seen on a recording of the event walking across the stage to receive their degrees carried signs of their support for Palestinians, including one woman who unfurled a Palestinian flag.

The protests have prompted universities such as Columbia in New York and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to cancel their main graduation ceremonies this month. Other colleges and universities have relocated or modified commencement ceremonies.

Reuters

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