More than a dozen University of Edinburgh students staged a walkout during their graduation ceremony on Wednesday in protest at the university’s alleged financial links to Israel.
Several students held banners as they demonstrated at the front of the graduation hall, including one that appeared to accuse the school of putting “profits over people”, while another was draped in a Palestinian flag.
After a brief demonstration lasting a matter of seconds, the group left the ceremony to applause from many of those remaining in the audience.
According to Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society, those taking part were history graduates.
Sharing footage of the protest on social media, the group wrote: “First walkout of the 2026 graduation season in the first ceremony! This is the third consecutive year of graduation walkouts at Edinburgh.”
The accompanying caption said the students were protesting “the university’s continued financial entanglement with Israeli apartheid infrastructure and unprecedented staff cuts”. It is not clear what the students were chanting.
Silly season has begun at Edinburgh University.
— Subversive Force (@SubversiveForce) July 2, 2026
Such brave souls. pic.twitter.com/v1ApDY3VH1
The University of Edinburgh has faced sustained pressure from pro-Palestinian campaigners over investments and research partnerships they say connect the institution to Israel. The university says it invests responsibly and does not invest directly in Israeli arms companies.
A recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories said the university held almost £25.5 million – around 2.5 per cent of its endowment – in Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM, companies the report said were linked to Israel’s military and surveillance infrastructure.
It described Edinburgh as “among the UK’s most financially entangled institutions” because of those holdings and other research partnerships. The university has not accepted that characterisation.
A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “Graduations are hugely significant milestones for our students.
“While we respect the right to peaceful protest, we also have a responsibility to ensure ceremonies can run smoothly and safely so that all of our graduates can celebrate their achievements with their families and supporters.
“Prior to the graduations, we shared guidance with students and staff attending graduations with a reminder of expectations around behaviour, in line with our commitment to dignity and respect.
“Yesterday’s ceremony was briefly interrupted by protests. This was resolved quickly, and the ceremony continued as planned.”
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