Group of graduates walk out of Harvard commencement chanting ‘Free, free Palestine’

By STEVE LeBLANC and LISA RATHKE
Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Hundreds of students in graduation robes walked out of the Harvard commencement chanting “Free, free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus. School officials announced Wednesday, the day before Thursday’s graduation, that 13 Harvard students who participated in a protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates. Some students chanted “Let them walk” during Thursday’s commencement, referring to allowing those 13 students to get their diplomas along with fellow graduates. A student speaker recognized the 13 students and said she is deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus.