Pro-Palestinian protesters call for ceasefire before Yale’s 323rd commencement

Yale University hosted its 323rd commencement ceremony on Monday in New Haven.

The celebration came in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Before the commencement began, a group of students gathered on the New Haven Green across from the ceremony to call for a ceasefire and urged the university to divest from companies arming Israel.

“I think there have been important dialogues on campus, and I think Yale is a place to learn, to challenge and to talk about hard things,” said Sahil Mane, a Yale undergraduate student.

In April, more than 50 police officers moved pro-Palestinian protesters from an encampment at the heart of Yale's campus. The university said it fully supports peaceful protests and freedom of speech, but to a point.

“This is not a unique moment in higher education. You know, we've always had sharp political disagreements that people felt like they should deal with in different ways,” said Adam Flaherty, a Yale graduate student.

Inside the ceremony there were some pro-Palestinian signs being held up.

The group of protesters have cooperated with police. There were no arrests as of Monday morning.