ANN ARBOR — Graduates at the University of Michigan walked out during the commencement ceremony, displaying their support for Palestinians. Students at institutions across the nation have engaged in forms of protest on their c0llege campuses over the last several weeks.

The protesting graduates wore kaffiyehs and mortarboards and carried Palestinian flags and signs as they walked among the aisles of fellow students. The New York Times reported that as they walked toward the stage, they chanted “Regents, regents, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!”

Planes flew over Michigan Stadium — known as the Big House — where the ceremony occurred with countering messages. One read “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter,” and the other “Divest from Israel now! Free Palestine!”

Another protest banner read: “No universities left in Gaza.”

Michigan State Police officers moved quickly to stop the protesters from reaching the stage and urged them to withdraw to the back of the graduation section, according to the Times.

Chants continued to sound throughout the Big House. More students joined the protest while others, some with the Star of David on their mortarboards, were angered by the protest, calling for the protesters to be kicked out, the Times reported.

“You’re ruining our graduation!” a student yelled. Several Israeli flags were hung from private boxes in the stadium.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you can please draw your attention back to the podium,” U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro told the crowd at one point, according to CBS News.

The protesters retreated to the back of the commencement area and the demonstration remained peaceful. Graduations and other events of the university are common places for peaceful protests to occur, according to University officials.

The chants continued, but the ceremony commenced and the students remained focused on the stage.

CBS News also reported that Michigan’s chief academic officer, Laurie McCauley, said the university respects free speech, but “no one is entitled to disrupt university activities.”

The university amped up security prior to the graduation event, performing screenings and removing banners and flags, according to CBS Detroit.

While the ceremony ensued, there was a pro-Palestinian encampment located on the Diag of the university. The area was filled with campers, protesters and graduated students, alongside their families, according to reports. Dozens of tents  fill the Diag with nearly 200 protesters who remain overnight.

Salma Hamamy, a recent graduate and one of the organizers of the encampment was reported wearing her graduation cap and gown following the protest at the ceremony. The Times reported that she does not regret the protest, calling it a “once in a lifetime” moment.

“It would feel completely wrong of me to not use graduation as an opportunity to call attention to this,” she said. “That’s where all the regents are. It’s important that they can physically see us. They can’t ignore us.”