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A group of Notre Dame graduates walked out of their graduation ceremony Sunday in protest against Vice President Mike Pence and his policies.
Pence was delivering the commencement speech after receiving an honorary degree from the Catholic university, located in his home state of Indiana.
Videos showed some students standing as Pence took the podium, then walking out of the ceremony and gathering outside Notre Dame Stadium, where they held a short alternative “graduation ceremony.”
The protest action was planned ahead of the ceremony, with activist group We Stand for ND saying Pence’s policies as vice president and as former Indiana governor targeted marginalized people on the basis of their religion, skin color or sexual orientation.
In a news item on its website, the university said that approximately 100 students participated in the walkout. According to the walkout’s Facebook event, 146 people were involved.
‘Political leaders are necessary’
Introducing Pence, University President Rev. John I. Jenkins said “political leaders are necessary for society, and we must strive with them to serve the common good.”