'Filthy antisemites': Duke University students slammed over walkout during Jerry Seinfeld's speech

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA: Dozens of students at Duke University staged a protest during the commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 12, walking out as comedian Jerry Seinfeld, an outspoken supporter of Israel, took to the podium as the guest speaker.

Chanting "free Palestine" and waving Palestinian flags, the students filed out of the crowd gathered on the football field while Seinfeld received an honorary degree, as reported by Reuters.

Pro-Palestinian student protesters at Duke University walk out of Jerry Seinfeld's speech

Video footage from the event, verified by Reuters, captured the scenes of protest. As the students exited, some voices in the audience cheered "Jerry! Jerry!" to show their backing for the actor. Despite the disruption, Seinfeld proceeded with his speech without major interruptions.

In his address, Seinfeld acknowledged the controversy surrounding his selection as speaker, quipping, "A lot of you are thinking, 'I can't believe they invited this guy.' Too late."

He then went on to "defend" the concept of privilege, stating, "I say, use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian."

Seinfeld's visit to Israel and vocal support for the country since the escalation of violence on October 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 people and abducted 252 others, according to Israel, sparked the protest.

Jessica Seinfeld, the comedian's spouse, also made public her contributions to the pro-Israel counterprotests, which resulted in clashes between police and Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA earlier this month. Subsequently, she denounced the ensuing violence.

In response to the protests, Duke University spokesperson Frank Tramble issued a statement: "We understand the depth of feeling in our community, and as we have all year, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully, without preventing graduates and their families from celebrating their achievement."

The White House also weighed in on the Duke controversy, stating that President Joe Biden supports peaceful protests during college commencement ceremonies where he and other officials in his administration are scheduled to speak.

Internet wastes no time in lambasting pro-Palestinian students at Duke University

The internet was quick to condemn the pro-Palestinian students at Duke who walked out of Seinfeld's commencement speech. One X user commented, "Filthy antisemites. Good riddance!" Another added, "Nobody will miss them."

A third user criticized, "A bunch of unemployable losers!"

While a fourth remarked, "Oh no! A handful of radical extremists + Jew-haters decide to leave so they don't have to listen to a famous comedian (who happens to be a Jew). Good riddance. Too bad Duke didn't tell them to leave their degrees behind."

Another user pointed out, "Jew haters at Duke self-identify. Future employers and colleagues take note."

A sixth user stated, "They walked out of the graduation to protest the fact that a stand-up comic was Jewish. The level of anti-Semitism is disgusting."

A seventh user criticized, "This impresses nobody and only makes more people support Israel. The pro-Hamas activists are not bright people." Lastly, an eighth user condemned, "The glaring, grotesque face of anti-Semitism."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.