One arrested at Northeastern’s commencement ceremony at Fenway Park

In a sea of excited, new Northeastern University graduates, support for both Palestine and Israel was visible, with flags waved at commencement at Fenway Park Sunday.

A chant accusing the university of funding genocide began during the graduation ceremony where nearly 30,000 students and guests were in attendance, prompting a request from Kellee Tsai, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.

“We respect your passion and opinions. We respect your right to voice them – in the appropriate setting,” Tsai said.

Also during commencement, police arrested a person the university said tried to interrupt the event.

During Saturday’s graduation events, a pro-Palestine protester took the stage with fake blood on his hands and wearing a shirt with the words “NEU kills,” videos on social media show.

“Northeastern has held more than 15 academic ceremonies this week to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students,” Renata Nyul, Vice President of Communications at Northeastern University, told Boston 25 News in a statement. “The disruptive stunt by one student at a college ceremony was upsetting to everyone who attended the event. Out of respect for members of our community, we will not amplify this disgraceful behavior by making it available online.”

The graduation events come just over a week after 98 Pro-Palestine supporters were arrested on the Northeastern University campus, 29 of whom were university students and 6 faculty and staff.

Protesters had set up encampments at Northeastern and campuses across the country calling for schools to cut financial ties to Israel amid its war with Hamas.

“I’m a Palestinian American. My grandparents grew up in Palestine…It’s very near and dear to my heart. And it’s just heartbreaking to see what’s happening in Gaza right now,” said one student who asked not to be named. “I’m calling for Northeastern to divest, disclose, and really just show their support for all of their students, not just some.”

Among the Class of 2024 was sentiment for those affected by the conflict while also celebrating their personal accomplishments.

“I’m Jewish. So, I have a strong connection to the state of Israel, and obviously I don’t gain any satisfaction from the things that are happening in Gaza especially,” said new graduate Jorge Batievsky.”I personally didn’t want to put any political beliefs in front of me, because I just want to take the time to appreciate the hard work I did and celebrate this great achievement.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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