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A video clip of a student wearing a keffiyeh and being escorted out of Georgia State University’s graduate commencement by armed security officers Wednesday went viral on social media.
The university issued a statement on Thursday saying that the master’s program graduate was not made to leave for wearing the symbol of Palestinian solidarity, given “stoles and other garments displaying national or cultural symbols are permitted,” but the student also brought a flag, prohibited under the university’s commencement policies. The statement said she relinquished the Palestinian flag to security before walking across the stage, but her behavior was “disruptive” in the center aisle after it was returned so she was removed.
The university also said it addressed “two isolated incidents where a garment worn by a guest and a graduate were mistaken for flags.”
The statement did not elaborate on the master’s student’s behavior, though in a ceremony video posted on the university’s Facebook page, the student can be seen shouting on stage to applause. The statement also noted that another graduate “took a microphone from the university band and was also peacefully escorted out.”
“Students have been permitted to wear such items across the stage during Wednesday and Thursday’s ceremonies,” the statement read. “The university has reiterated GSU’s procedures to its outside security firm, commencement volunteers and others who interact with students and their families.”
Commencement ceremonies have been flashpoints amid ongoing protests over the Israel-Gaza war on campuses across the country, causing some universities to heighten security at the events or even cancel them.
In Pictures: Campus Protests
