UC Berkeley withholds graduate’s diploma after Palestinian flag display on stage
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- A UC Berkeley administrator halts the graduation ceremony to reprimand a student for carrying a Palestinian flag onto the stage.
The Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, is facing scrutiny after withholding a graduate’s diploma and publicly reprimanding him during a commencement ceremony for carrying a Palestinian flag onto the stage.
The incident, which was captured on video and has since circulated widely on social media, occurred during the school's spring graduation ceremony.
A Tense Standoff on Stage
According to witnesses and video footage, the student walked across the stage to receive his diploma cover while carrying a Palestinian flag. Upon reaching the podium, school officials halted the proceedings.
For approximately one minute, the ceremony was paused as administrators publicly reprimanded the student, refusing to hand over his diploma jacket or allow him to proceed until the flag was taken down. The tense standoff took place in front of an audience of faculty, graduates, and families before the student eventually complied, lowered the flag, and was allowed to exit the stage.
University Policy vs. Free Speech
The Goldman School later confirmed that the student's official diploma was temporarily withheld following the incident.
In a statement, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley cited campus guidelines regarding commencement decorum, stating that demonstrations or political displays that disrupt the flow of the graduation ceremony are prohibited. Officials maintained that the brief intervention was necessary to preserve the order of the event for all graduating students.
However, the decision has sparked immediate backlash from student groups and free speech advocates, who argue the administration's response was heavy-handed and an infringement on expressive rights.
"Commencement is a reflection of a student's identity and values," said a representative from a campus student coalition. "To publicly discipline a student and hold their hard-earned degree over a flag is a severe overreaction that stifles free expression."
