NEW YORK CITY (TND) — Some New York University (NYU) graduates walked out of their commencement ceremony Wednesday to protest the school’s investments in companies perceived as helping Israel in its war against Hamas.

NYU’s Palestine Solidarity Coalition helped plan the walkout from Yankee Stadium, according to its Instagram page. Graduates were encouraged to exit silently with red-painted hands and keffiyehs as school President Linda Mills began her speech.

“We refuse to let the ceremony continue as planned whilst NYU refuses to acknowledge Palestine or Gaza and is complicit in the genocide of over 40,000 Palestinians,” the coalition said.

NYU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine applauded the protest, which coincided with demonstrations at the School of Global Public Health’s ceremony. Graduates there crossed the stage with pro-Palestine signs.

“Kudos to the courageous NYU students who stood for Palestine at today's graduations!” the group wrote. “While Israeli genocide/apartheid went unmentioned by Mills+co., they boldly wore keffiyehs & spoke up against the admin's refusal to divest from companies profiting off oppression.”

NYU spokesperson John Beckman told The National Desk (TND) the demonstration did not disrupt the ceremony.

"Today's Commencement was a joyful 2 1/2 hours for the 40,000 NYU graduates and guests at Yankee Stadium. A tiny fraction of the crowd walked out,” he said. "It had no impact on the proceedings, which carried on without interruption, and the overwhelming majority of the tens of thousands attendees enjoyed the Commencement Exercises very much and took great pride in honoring NYU's grads.”

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Pro-Palestinian groups also urged NYU students to protest the university’s Grad Alley, a street fair marked by entertainment and refreshments, claiming it was a distraction to the school’s investment in companies involved in the Israel-Hamas war.

“NYU tries desperately to hold onto two images of itself: the university without walls, where the city is our campus; and the university as a sanctuary for learning, undisturbed by the ‘outsiders’ that patrol it’s [sic] borders,” the Palestine Solidarity Coalition said. “The first image is for prospective students, while the second is for the institution’s real funders: the Trustees.”

NYU students have also demonstrated against the university's investments by setting up encampments, which have experienced police intervention after school officials alleged they became disruptive.

“We will continue to support individuals’ right to freedom of expression, and, as we have said since October, the safety of our students and maintaining an equitable learning environment remain paramount,” Beckman said last month.

The Palestine Solidarity Coalition argued the university has retreated from its alleged image for prospective students as a city without walls.

“This past year has seen NYU increasingly turning away from the first image of itself, putting up more and more walls, increasing border patrols and instituting ID checks,” the group said. “All of this is to provide justification for it’s [sic] support of Israel. We should not be surprised that it upholds the Israeli state – it needs to, in order to justify itself and the apartheid system it upholds here in NYC.”

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