Vice President Mike Pence addressed a smaller-than-usual commencement this year as dozens of Notre Dame students silently stood up and left as he took the podium.
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Notre Dame human rights group We StaND For organized the walkout to protest the vice president’s policies on immigration and LGBTQI rights.
We invite all Notre Dame students to help take back our commencement this coming Sunday! #WalkoutND pic.twitter.com/ifOt5RB4hO
— We StaND For (@WeStandForND) May 15, 2017
Protesters left quietly and respectfully.
During his introduction, a Notre Dame administrator lauded Pence as a “man of principle,” even for “those who disagree with [him].”
The vice president continued his speech uninterrupted.
We StaND For say they had over 100 partipants and consider the protest a success.
With 100+ participants #WalkoutND was a wonderful success. Thank you all for the support!
— We StaND For (@WeStandForND) May 21, 2017
This is one of several protests of commencement speeches by Trump administration members. Earlier this month, students staged a similar protest of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona, Fla., a historically black university.