Anti-Israel Protesters Walk Out On Graduation Speaker Jerry Seinfeld

(ConservativeSense.com) – Student activists from Duke University walked out of their commencement ceremony when Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld was introduced as a guest speaker during the event.

Duke University’s graduation ceremony was disrupted this year by dozens of pro-Palestinian student activists, who chanted slogans and walked out of the commencement during the introduction of Seinfeld. The protest was over the comedian’s open support for Israel during its ongoing war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

The commencement happened at Wallace Wade Stadium on Sunday, May 12, and the incident was captured on video which went viral online. While Seinfeld was being introduced onto the stage, many could be heard booing the comedian from the audience as a group of graduates produced Palestinian flags to wave around. The group then stood up, with some holding a larger Palestinian flag, and walked off the field while chanting “Free, free Palestine.”

According to a New York Times report about the protest, Seinfeld “looked on” at the display and “smiled tensely.” The comedian is best known for the popular TV sitcom bearing his name and is currently touring to promote his new film “Unfrosted,” which is also Seinfeld’s directorial debut.

Supporters of Seinfeld, who received an honorary degree from the university, chanted “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” when the comedian took the stage. In his speech, he joked about being a “Jewish boy from New York,” which he said was “a privilege” for someone wanting to be a comedian.

Seinfeld has been supportive of Israel, which he visited last year in December, shortly after the Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state by Hamas that sparked the current conflict and killed around 1,200. Hamas also took over 200 people hostage.

Since the war began, around 35,000 more people have been killed in Gaza, sparking widespread protests across US university campuses. During his visit last year, Seinfeld met with family members of some of the hostages taken by Hamas in Gaza last year and told them he was deeply committed “to raising awareness” about their plight.