A Staten Island eighth-grader sparked outrage at his middle-school graduation by boldly waving a Palestinian flag, defying school rules.
The student, after receiving his diploma on stage at Elias Bernstein IS 7 in Huguenot on Monday, unfurled the flag as he exited the stage, as captured in a video of the event.
While a few in the large audience of hundreds cheered, the majority responded with loud boos, disrupting the ceremony.
An irate grandmother claimed her granddaughter’s graduation was “ruined” due to the student’s actions.
“Children are a product of their parents. These children all worked hard for this day,” she commented on Facebook.
Another parent, in a message shared on Instagram by advocacy group NYC Public School Alliance, mentioned that many Jewish families present perceived the act as a political and intimidating statement inappropriate for a middle school graduation, given the current political climate.
The student was not removed from the ceremony after unfurling the flag, and school staff continued to announce the names of graduates amid the disruption.
“There needs to be a true and meaningful consequence for unruly and disruptive behavior at any graduation ceremony,” stated Borough President Vito Fossella.
School officials had informed parents prior to the ceremony that political displays were prohibited.
“It seems that his parents encouraged the boy to do it,” Fossella remarked. The Post has attempted to contact the boy’s parents.
Critics citywide condemned the school for allowing the student, whose name is being withheld as he is a minor, to proceed without consequences.
“Too late should have been handled with right on the spot !!” one woman commented online.
Others stressed that a graduation ceremony is not the appropriate venue for a political statement.
“There should be only one flag flying at a graduation ceremony,” another commenter stated, accompanied by an American flag emoji.
Moshe Spern, president of the United Jewish Teachers, criticized the Department of Education for its silence on the issue.
“Graduations should celebrate achievement and not push divisive political statements, especially in a city still healing from antisemitic violence,” he wrote on X.
“Where is the accountability from @NYCSchools Chancellor & @DOEChancellor? This directly violates guidance for neutral, inclusive ceremonies.”
The DOE did not respond to requests for comment.
Some people, however, supported the student, arguing he was simply exercising his freedom of speech.
“I guess freedom of speech doesn’t count when it isn’t speech that you agree with, does it,” one man wrote on Facebook.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and author of two books on terrorism, dismissed the incident as merely a youthful prank.
“Students using graduation ceremonies as opportunities to intimidate others by waving Palestinian flags, or carrying antisemitic and anti-Israel signs, or changing their pre-approved graduation speeches to promote their Islamic beliefs, are doing no less than waging jihad,” she told The Post.
“These rebellious acts have continued – and will continue – as long as teachers and principals do nothing out of belief in the antisemitic/anti-Israel cause, or because they’re cowards.”
