
Hundreds of students left Stanford University in California on Sunday after commencement, joining the spring wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on American college campuses.
As outgoing university President Richard Saller began his speech, which began, “Don’t let your convictions shut out your ability to listen and learn,” the students stood and filed out.
Videos that NBC News was able to confirm showed the commencement, as students carefully marched off the field at Stanford Stadium wearing black robes and Cardinal red trim.
Those in the stadium who would be graduating cheered them on. A request for additional information was not immediately answered by the organization.
A post from Stanford Against Apartheid on Palestine’s Instagram page stated that an “alternative graduation” was planned, to be held following the regular commencement.
The Menlo Park, California, rally was planned to support other students who were allegedly barred from Sunday’s university ceremonies due to their arrests during earlier pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
“Come celebrate and thank our colleagues who have been detained and whose degrees will be withheld for fighting against genocide with us TODAY!,” the post read.
Authorities said that on June 5, after a brief occupation of Stanford’s president’s office, more than a dozen demonstrators were taken into custody.
They reported that some had received school suspensions.
The participants in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations demanded that the organization distance itself from Israel in light of the latter’s conflict with Hamas.