Michigan Graduation Speech Praising Pro-Palestinian Campus Activists Sparks Backlash

A graduation speech at the University of Michigan on Saturday sparked immediate backlash after Professor Derek Peterson praised pro-Palestinian campus activists during commencement remarks before thousands of students and families.

Peterson, a historian and chair of the university’s Faculty Senate, thanked “the pro-Palestinian student activists, who over these past two years opened our hearts to the injustice and inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza,” according to video of the remarks of the ceremony.

The comments quickly reignited criticism surrounding the university’s handling of anti-Israel activism since the October 7 Hamas massacre and the wave of campus protests that followed across the United States.

Peterson is not only a longtime professor at the university but also one of its most prominent faculty leaders. He serves as the Ali Mazrui Collegiate Professor of History and African Studies and received a MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellowship in 2017. In 2025, he became chair of the Faculty Senate.

“The University of Michigan knew exactly what it was doing when they asked Professor Derek Peterson to give the commencement address,” Leo Terrell, chair of the Justice Department’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism” wrote on X following the ceremony.

Terrell later added: “Shame on the University of Michigan! We’ll see you soon. You can bet the house on it.”

In another post, Terrell accused Peterson of “using a government platform to promote antisemitism.”

In early 2024, Peterson supported faculty efforts pushing the university to divest from companies tied to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The Faculty Senate later approved a resolution urging the university’s Board of Regents to pursue divestment measures.

At the same time, the university became one of the country’s most visible centers of anti-Israel campus protests. Demonstrators established encampments, disrupted events, and protested outside the homes of university regents while demanding divestment from Israel.

The university later suspended the student organization SAFE, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, for two years over conduct violations connected to campus demonstrations and protests outside a regent’s home.

Police eventually dismantled the university’s encampment in 2024, though prosecutors later dropped charges against several protesters arrested during the operation.

As of Saturday evening, the university had not publicly responded to the backlash surrounding Peterson’s remarks. No official commencement transcript had yet been released.