Student carrying Palestinian flag at ceremony denied diploma until he puts the flag away

UC Berkeley students walk by Sather Tower on the UC Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California. Photo by Justin Sullivan /Getty Images

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A graduating student who tried to take his diploma while holding a Palestinian flag behind his back was told to ditch the banner before he could receive his certificate.

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Video shared Tuesday on social media shows the University of California Berkeley student wearing dark glasses and presenting a Palestinian flag to the audience, who are cheering.

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He then walks up to receive his diploma, but the dean who is handing them out pulls it back and they appear to be in conversation for about 40 seconds as the audience starts to boo and catcall.

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At the point in the video a female voice can be heard from off camera.

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“I’m sorry, but we’re not allowed to have flags,” the voice says. “Flags are prohibited. We’re not allowed to have flags.”

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She continues: “It’s not our policy, it’s the university policy.”

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The student then walks out of view of the camera, and the voice continues: “Do you want to leave it here? We are prohibited from displaying flags.”

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The student then walks to the edge of the stage to hand the flag to someone in the audience before going back to collect his diploma. He moved on quickly, and there was no handshake between student and official.

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The incident happened last Friday. The video was posted by Brandon Tatum, an American political commentator, author and former police officer.

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According to the New York Post, the event was the spring graduation ceremony for the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California Berkeley.

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The news site Roya News, which says it “delivers global news with a focus on Jordan and the MENA (Middle East and North African) region,” also reported on the event, and said the Goldman School had confirmed that the student’s official diploma was temporarily withheld following the incident.

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The university shared a statement shared with National Post from David C. Wilson, Dean of the Goldman School.

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“Prior to the ceremony, all students were provided with written, content- and perspective-neutral guidelines which clearly stated that all ‘SIGNS / BANNERS / FLAGS’ were prohibited in the venue,” he wrote. “During the degree-awarding portion of the ceremony, one graduate brought a flag onto the stage and when the student reached me on stage, I communicated that their actions were not consistent with the written guidelines.”

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He added: “Our dialogue was civil and, ultimately, the student complied, received their scroll and we finished the ceremony without further disruption. I am proud of him and of every member of the Class of 2026.”

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In a separate story from earlier this month, Roya News reported that several graduating students were forcibly removed and escorted out of their commencement ceremony at George Mason University in Virginia after unfurling the Palestinian flag as they walked across the stage to receive recognition.

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“University staff and security personnel immediately intervened, cutting the students’ participation short and marching them out of the venue,” the site reported. It added that one of the ejected students remarked: “My freedom and my rights were violated.”

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