A group of pro-Palestinian protesters briefly disrupted the spring commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan on Saturday. The incident, which involved students wearing caps, gowns, and keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, was captured in videos that circulated online.

During the ceremony in Ann Arbor, the protesters could be heard chanting slogans such as "Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest" and "Regents, regents, you can't hide! You are funding genocide," according to The New York Times. The demonstration also saw the appearance of two planes with conflicting messages.

One of the planes carried a message stating "Free Palestine" and "divest from Israel now," while the other circled the area proclaiming "we stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter." Amidst the disruptions, an audience member vented their frustration by shouting, "You're ruining our graduation!"

The University of Michigan stated that it had trained volunteers on how to handle disruptions and manage signs or disruptive behavior. Their aim was to support a successful and celebratory event for the graduating students. The Hill reached out to the university for a comment, but no response has been reported.

These protests on college campuses have been occurring nationwide over the past few weeks, with students demanding divestment from Israeli companies and those supplying weapons to Israel. School administrators have been grappling with the challenge of balancing First Amendment rights and campus security.

The impact of these protests on the academic year has been significant. Columbia University, where the protests originated, transitioned to a hybrid learning format for the remainder of the year, while the University of Southern California canceled its primary commencement ceremony. To allow for expression without hampering the festivities, some universities are planning to designate specific areas for student protests, as reported by The New York Times.

While the campus protests have largely been peaceful, tensions reached a critical point this week as police stepped in to disperse demonstrators on multiple campuses. Additionally, pro-Palestine protesters have encountered a growing number of counter-protesters.

As the debate surrounding divestment from Israeli companies continues, universities across the nation face the challenging task of navigating these demonstrations while upholding the principles of free speech and ensuring campus safety.