Flag in Graduation ceremony - what would you think?

[whiteroseredrose]

My DD graduated on Saturday. The ceremony is in two parts, first they 'graduate' in groups of the same subject and go outside. They then come back in in larger groups wearing their new hoods attached to the robes. All very pretty with lots of proud parents taking photos.

DD came back in with her friends, lots of clapping and cheers and I took my photos.

In the cohort immediately behind her one graduate came in carrying a full sized Palestinian flag which covered her from head to toe. So the attention switched from the 30 or so new graduates all in black and white to this huge multicoloured flag. There were some cheers and some boos.

Here's my AIBU. I think it was highly inappropriate to steal the moment from all of your classmates. It is everyone's moment of glory and shouldn't be about just one person and their beliefs. I don't think that the University staff should have let her in with it.

Am I being unreasonable?

I wonder what would happen if students carried flags showing support for Margaret Thatcher, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, JK Rowling..... Or expressing pro-life views or other controversial but not illegal opinions? Would everyone feel 'proud of students exercising their freedom of expression'?

Many feel very strongly that Taiwan is China, that India is for the Hindus, that women’s rights have gone too far, that Hitler had the right idea, that apostates should be put to death, etc

Hundreds of millions believe the above messages very strongly. That doesn’t say anything about whether they should be welcomed at a graduation. The only workable position is no politics.

This is the second thread about Palestinian flags at graduation ceremonies in as many weeks.

The point is a graduation ceremony is not for making political statements, it's for celebrating the success of the students who have spent the last 3 or 4 years working hard in their studies and this is the fruition of that hard work. Don't steal their 1.5 hours of limelight, plenty of time to protest outside of that.

Sorry. I haven't seen the previous one.

I'm surprised it was allowed. At my uni you weren't allowed to alter the gown or mortarboard in any physical way unless it was necessary in order to be able to wear it. one of my classmates had voluminous dreadlocks and fixed her mortarboard to sit on top of her hair with added ties to hold it on; fine. But even presumably apolitical visual changes like covering the mortarboard in shiny foil or adding colorful pompoms or wearing a contrasting feather boa on top would not have been allowed.

And you think a student parading in a flag will make any difference? (Apart from ruining the occasion for those who also worked for years to gain their degree but might have different political beliefs, as they are entitled to do.)

It is possible to deplore the situation in Gaza and detest the policies of the current Israeli government without supporting the aims of those leading Palestine, you know.

There's a time and a place, and this was neither.

I don't think that the University staff should have let her in with it.

You might want to check out the HIgher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act that has just come into force. The staff would have been on dodgy ground if they'd tried to stop it.

I wonder if you would have felt the same if the student had paraded in a huge Israeli flag, or (if you support Ukraine) a huge Russian flag, or a Reform UK banner. Or do you only approve of the principle if you agree with the cause in question?

I've been to several US graduations and they have all featured several grads with decorated mortar boards (flags and slogans among the decorations), various stoles, and other detours from the straight and narrow. Along with all of that, there are the very showy shoes/ sandals/ cowboy boots worn by many female grads (because the feet are all anyone sees under the uniform gowns.

It's what you expect and nobody passes comment. You just focus on your own kid and enjoy the hoopla.

However, in the US, you buy your gown and mortarboard. It's yours and you can style it as you please.

If it's such a wonderful protest and should be allowed, why haven't there just as many Ukrainian flags unfurled in similar places with people applauding them?

Students of today are part of the future for our country

Protests can and often do make a difference and showing support for people in crises should never be silenced

This is precisely why I didn’t attend my PhD graduation last summer.

Terror-sympathising little twats.

This

No-one is saying they should be silenced. We're saying they should demonstrate elsewhere, even outside the event, not selfishly hijack and spoil a one-off event that people have worked towards for years - people who might have different views.

By your logic it would be fine for someone to behave like that at someone else's wedding.

And our own flags would have been seen as “hate”

I would have thought - attention seeking, ignorant piece of crap making the celebration a pointless flag stunt. As if, the flag changes anything? Pathetic baby.

I attended a graduation on Saturday, afternoon grads, sounds very similar to OP experience … prior to ceremony, students were told very firmly about behavior standards. There were No stunts.

There is an urgency to stop the Israel-imposed starvation, the shooting and bombing of the Palestinian people and the razing to the ground whole areas of their land. That is why students protest at graduation ceremonies. That is why people march every week. That is called having compassion and being bothered enough about it to disrupt ceremonies or stop traffic.

When there is such an imminent danger to life imposed by one state on another, long live the right to protest it!

Free Palestine. Ceasefire now. End the illegal occupation!

The only future wanted, is one that conforms to their own beliefs. Yes they can certainly be silenced. Palestine Action Group have found that out. Quite right. Why should Jewish students have to be reminded of what that flag represents. You can kid yourself all you want that it's benign.

The flag didn’t feed anyone.

Free Palestine, at the cost to Jews. Nice.

👏 👏 neither does Hamas, who are too busy stealing the aid for themselves.

They might have purchased it from a charity that does feed people there (or attempts to, but Israel is blocking all aid).

I notice you didn’t include "Free the hostages"… Remember them, the ones abducted from the music festival where many of their friends were raped and murdered?

Your compassion doesn't seem to extend to them.

Tell that to Columbia University.