AIBU to say that graduation ceremonies are not the place to make political statements?

[anythingbutlillies]

Hard hat on.

DC's graduation today. Fabulous day, but it did not sit well with me that a few chose to unfurl a flag / raise a scarf while they were on the stage.
Just no! So very selfish.

Interested to hear if I am being precious?

Not pointless no, as there is an entire thread dedicated to it and you yourself, like many others are talking about it… seems like their idea to show solidarity and get people talking has worked.

Wrong, look back in history and you'll see many many political movements began with students.

I guess they felt like they were at least doing something. I'd rather the next generation does something possibly useless and unpopular rather than that they just don't care at all.

It's riled up a few people on here so yeah go for it. It's their moment they can do what they want with it.

Just a reminder you be pro Palestine without being anti Jew

It’s only acceptable if others who disagree are permitted to run onto the stage, rip the thing away, and stamp on it.

It must work both ways.

And if not, then why not?

I've attended 2 graduation ceremonies this week and thankfully there's been no similar events.
I was really struck by the large family entourages with the foreign students, the beautiful bouquets formally presented to daughters etc.I'd have hated for flags to have come into the equation.
This was in Belfast where flags are v important to us😄

Yup, absolutely. I think, it's actually pretty offensive if not anti semitic to think that just because someone is Jewish they agree with this gratuitous and senseless killing of Palestinians.

Are you for real? What a stupid question. One is violent and the other one isn't.

Why would you equate being Jewish with approving of the murder of thousands of Palestinians? They are not the Israeli Govt.
And to expect Uni grads to not be Political is very unreasonable tbh.

I don't see the issue if they did it when they were on stage and not someone else. University is the home of politics and protests! YABVU

💯

Why? Lots of Jews and Israelis also oppose the genocide. It's quite racist of you to lump all Jewish people into one group and assume they share the same beliefs.

Don't conflate the state of Israel with Jewish people generally. A huge number of Jewish people support Palestine, are horrified by Israel's genocide, and support Palestinian activism.

You've lived a very privileged life that you've never been in a situation that you think someone taking a stand and showing solidarity is pointless. Sit with that for a moment.

Hamas were not elected by a majority in Palestine.

Hamas were elected in 2006 on a bare plurality of votes (44% to the more moderate party's 41%) but ended up with a large number of seats due to the way the electoral system functions.

Hamas subsequently took complete control of the Gaza Strip. A civil war ensued and members of Fatah, the more moderate party, fled to the West Bank to escape persecution. The Palestinian Territories have remained split ever since, with Hamas ruling Gaza as a dictatorship. This is not what the Palestinian people voted for in 2006.

The only reason an election took place in 2006 with Hamas legally entitled to stand for election is because George W Bush urged the Palestinian Authority to hold elections in a power vacuum, and then took no steps to assist or improve Fatah's prospects of success (via diplomacy or political manoeuvre). Elections are rarely if ever the first step towards achieving a functional democratic process. They should be the culmination of a process. The idea that an election could be held in a power vacuum in a place of huge political turmoil and lead immediately to a straightforward and thriving democracy was profoundly over simplified.

Furthermore, the median age of Gazans is 18, meaning half of the people living in the Gaza Strip weren't even born the last time there was an election. They have lived their entire lives under Hamas rule, being fed Hamas propaganda, and facing consistent oppression and violence from Israel.

Thanks for saying this. I'm not Jewish but I've often been quite shocked that when people say they think innocent people queuing for food should not be shot at, they are called anti semantic. The implied corollary being, if you are pro Jewish then you want innocent people to be shot at. This narrative is much more damaging to the Jewish people. I can't understand why a pro Palestine flag at an event is somehow a dig at a British Jew, why would you assume they back Netanyahu in every way? I would never assume all Americans love Trump or all Russians love Putin etc. Jewish people are capable of independent thoughts too!

But yes OP at a graduation that would annoy me too.

Quite a few did it at my DD’s graduation last year. None of them stopped to unfurl, stopped to hold it up, or stopped for applause. They all did it while walking. It had absolutely no impact on anyone else, so I have no idea what you’re talking about in that respect.

And personally I am glad to see young people expressing an interest and passion and indignation at what’s going on in the world, just like I did as a student in the 80s.

i sssume their views don’t align with yours shd that’s why you were affronted?

YABU.

Fair play for students having a back bone and conscience to stand up against the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians. They/ we’ve been all silenced enough so they probably thought it was their last chance to make a stand.

YABU, it's great to think of the passion of the next generation to support a cause they feel strongly about. So often we hear of the apathy of the young but the strength of feeling regarding the subject has mobilised them to protest in any way they can.

I guess how selfish and inappropriate people feel this was will have more than a little correlation with their personal sympathies with the cause in question.

Are you assuming that Jewish students are supporters of the genocide? That’s quite an assumption.

Wow, so babies and children are being killed in their thousands and starved/maimed/orphaned in the tens of thousands and you’re upset because someone chose to raise a flag in support of those dead/injured/orphaned babies and children because it delayed you a little bit?

Wow. get a grip!!

If this is in the UK, I'm quite surprised they can square this with the recent office for students guidance on free speech, which says that regulations restricting protest should be proportionate. I'm not sure revoking a degree is a proportion response here.

Isn't it odd that with all the terrible things going on in various countries around the world that they all picked the same cause?

Why is it odd? Our government is supplying arms to Israel and is therefore directly funding and contributing to a genocide. It's completely unsurprising that this has spurred protest, isn't it?