Edinburgh Napier cuts graduation livestream after Gaza protest
In the livestream recording, which is available on YouTube, student Liam Thorpe can be seen unveiling a keffiyeh on stage and turning towards the audience, where he places a finger on his lips.
(Image: YouTube) As he approaches the edge of the stage, the livestream then transitions to a zoomed in camera angle and he no longer is in the shot.
Thorpe can occasionally be seen entering the frame as he begins to shout at the audience, although it is not entirely clear from the livestream recording what he is saying.
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It is understood that he was speaking about Gaza, and at one point he can be heard saying "Free Palestine". Other students can be heard clapping and cheering in support.
The feed is then promptly replaced with an overlay screen which reads "Graduation 2025".
(Image: YouTube) It then cuts to the next student being called, with the camera shot returning to the original angle.
The incident was subsequently referred to in a speech by the university's chancellor, Will Whitehorn, shortly before the end of the ceremony.
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Whitehorn told students: "One of my responsibilities as chancellor, I believe, is to bring the outside world into the university and into the graduations.
(Image: YouTube) "And it would be dishonest of me not to acknowledge the situation we see in the world today.
"Some of you may be worried - certainly one of you is worried."
Whitehorn pointed towards the economy, the "tragedies happening in Ukraine and the Middle East", as well as the climate crisis.
"History has a habit of repeating itself, but like then, the key thing is that we learn from it," he added.
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It is understood that Thorpe returned to his seat following the protest, and his degree award has not been affected.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Napier University said: 'Out of consideration for all graduands and guests, it is standard protocol for graduation ceremony live footage to pause during any on-stage disruption.
'This happened briefly during Wednesday morning's ceremony, affecting the screens in the hall and subsequent video upload. The audio was unaffected.
'Support was provided to the student involved following their graduation.'
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