Group of Graduates Walk Out of Harvard Commencement Chanting ‘Free, Free Palestine’

Graduating students chant as they depart commencement in protest to the 13 graduating seniors who were not allowed to participate due to protest activities, in Harvard Yard during commencement at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on May 23, 2024. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Hundreds of students in graduation robes walked out of the Harvard commencement on Thursday chanting “Free, free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus and a day after the school announced 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, let them walk” during Thursday’s commencement, referring to allowing those 13 students to get their diplomas along with fellow graduates.