UC Berkeley commencement peaceful despite pro-Palestinian protest
BERKELEY -- Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a campus-wide commencement at UC Berkeley on Saturday. The soon-to-be graduates in caps and gowns chanted "divest" and made loud noises.
"I'm proud that my peers feel like they can have a voice here at Berkeley. It wouldn't be Berkeley without any protest, right?" asked graduating student Angelina Martinez.
Martinez and her roommate Sydney Reyes, also a graduating senior, said they support free speech.
"Proud that people feel comfortable to be expressing how they feel," Reyes said.
Many students said the protest was somewhat expected. They were just glad Cal moved forward with the ceremony since they were fearful of a cancellation.
"Berkeley is a very social-justice-oriented school. I think 'perfect' includes social justice in the ceremony," said graduating senior Molly Avina when asked what a "perfect ceremony" might be.
Martinez and Reyes said they did a drive-by high school graduation back in 2020 because of the pandemic. Having their parents, siblings and friends at Memorial Stadium made the day very special.
"Having that connection -- to be able to give my parents a hug, to be able to give my friends hugs..." Martinez said.
"I'm first generation (college graduate) so I think it's really important for my family," Reyes said.
Berkeley administrators prepared for the protest by adding more security. Chancellor Carol Christ acknowledged victims from both sides of the Israel-Hamas war. She said she's sad the conflict has divided students and staff.
Hundreds of protesters stood in one section of the stadium to chant and stamp the metal bleachers with their shoes. They made it difficult at times to hear the speakers.
"They need to know our presence on campus. We're not going to stop. We're going to continue to be a headache, we're going to continue to disrupt," said protester and graduating student Yousuf, who declined to provide a last name.
There were no counterprotests but some students held up Israeli flags. Some relatives of students said the disruption was distasteful.
"We're here for our family. They worked hard during COVID time and now they're not getting their graduation peacefully so it's a little disappointing," said Joel Soto, who came to see his son graduate.
"I don't think to disrupt this moment is respectful for the people who worked so hard to get to this moment," said graduate student Moise Tchivwila.
Many students said they were OK with the protest so long as there was no violence.
"Having a college graduation is a super big deal, very important. So I think we're just excited to have this moment," said Eleanor Real.
"We're ready to just celebrate, have a good time and have a peaceful, celebratory day," said Anna Berezovskiy.
Berkeley officials said the 90-minute ceremony ended without any arrests and that, while the protest was loud, it was peaceful.