At Morehouse College’s commencement ceremony, some students silently protested President Biden by turning their backs as he spoke.
Their protest appeared related to Biden’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as some graduates wore Palestinian scarves.
While Biden acknowledged the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for peace, he was criticized for not taking a stronger stance against Israel.
“I support peaceful, non-violent protest. Your voices should be heard. And I promise you, I hear them,” Biden said.
The protest of Biden at the historically black college, where Martin Luther King Jr. attended, comes as polls show the president losing support among black voters.
Recent surveys found Trump gaining black voter support, with some polls putting his black approval at its highest for a Republican since the 1960s.
Biden aimed to shore up this key Democratic constituency with his commencement address, but faced silent dissent from graduates calling for stronger advocacy for Palestinian rights.
