Several students at Black college turn their backs on Biden at grad ceremony

President Joe Biden encountered protests from multiple students during his commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday.

Mr. Biden’s speech at the historically Black, all-male institution was his first appearance on campus since anti-Israel protests erupted at universities across the nation.

“I support peaceful nonviolent protest. Your voices should be heard. I promise you I hear them,” he assured the students, many of whom wore kaffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves, over their shoulders.

Mr. Biden said of the Israel-Hamas war, “It’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza; that’s why I’ve called for an immediate cease-fire. I know it angers and frustrates many of you, including in my family.”

Campus leaders had anticipated the possibility of protests during Mr. Biden’s visit, similar to demonstrations against other commencement speakers, such as comedian Jerry Seinfeld, around the country. Morehouse alumni had circulated an online letter condemning the administration for inviting Mr. Biden, accusing him of supporting what they termed genocide in Gaza — a stance they said contradicted the pacifism of Martin Luther King Jr., Morehouse’s most renowned alumnus.

Reports indicated that several faculty members chose not to attend the address in protest.

Just before Mr. Biden’s speech, Morehouse valedictorian DeAngelo Fletcher, who wore a Palestinian flag pin, called for “an immediate and a permanent cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Mr. Biden, who has communicated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the importance of an immediate cease-fire to “protect innocent civilians,” also stood to clap.