CUNY Students Disrupt Former UN Ambassador’s Speech, Citing Complicity and Support for Israel’s War in Gaza at 2026 Graduation Ceremony
June 6, 2026Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was met with chants of “You’re a liar, you set Palestine on fire” as students disrupted her graduation speech at the City University of New York.
The protesters were sending a message.
They have not forgotten Gaza.
And they have not forgotten Washington’s role in it.
Throughout Israel’s war on Gaza, the United States repeatedly used its veto power at the UN Security Council to block or delay resolutions calling for a ceasefire, despite mounting civilian casualties and growing international outrage.
As Gaza continues to endure destruction, displacement and immense human suffering, students are making it clear that they are unwilling to celebrate political careers without also confronting the decisions made along the way.
The chants inside the ceremony were not just about one person.
They were about a generation demanding accountability.
And refusing to look away.
Source from X: @SprinterPress
#Palestine #Gaza #CUNY #LindaThomasGreenfield #UnitedNations
English Script:
CUNY Students: Mic check. Linda Greenfield you’re a liar, you set Palestine on fire. We are disrupting our own graduation because Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a war criminal. We demand that Cuny disclose and divest, boycott, and solidarity with colonized people. Demilitarize Cuny. A free people’s Cuny. Linda Greenfield you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide. Linda Greenfield you’re complicit.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Let me thank you for reminding me of what was probably one of the most difficult periods of my career, not just here in New York, but all across the world.
CUNY Students: Linda Greenfield you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide. Linda Greenfield you’re complicit.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield: These values were written into the very foundations of the United Nations for a more peaceful and just world. Today, and when I left to start college at Louisiana State University, though it was just down the road, the leap felt monumental.
CUNY Students: Shame, shame, shame.
Unknown person: So… to remember that this day is about you and your fellow students, about the family and friends who are attending this event.
CUNY Students: Free, free Palestine.
