ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Taxpayer-funded University of Michigan hosted a speaker who made antisemitic remarks during a commencement speech last weekend.
Derek R. Peterson, a history professor and the outgoing Faculty Senate Chair, “made remarks regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict that were hurtful and insensitive to many members of our community,” U-M president Domenico Grasso said later that day. He said Peterson “deviated from the remarks he had shared before the ceremony.” In addition, he said the remarks made “were inappropriate and do not represent our institutional position.”
During his five-and-a-half-minute speech, Peterson said “Sing for the pro-Palestinian student activists who have, over these past two years, opened our hearts to the injustice and inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza.”
At today’s University of Michigan graduation, Professor Derek Peterson thanked anti-Israel protesters for 2 years of campus chaos.
Turning a commencement speech into a political rant like this is grounds for termination.
Sickening. pic.twitter.com/EcXqm4uU9r
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) May 2, 2026
Critics of Peterson included two Republican-endorsed candidates for the Board of Regents election, Michael Schostak and Lena Epstein. They issued a joint statement: “Commencement ceremonies exist to unite the University community around academic achievement, personal growth, and the promise of what comes next. It should not become a stage for political activism that leaves students feeling excluded or uncomfortable during one of the most important milestones of their lives.”
The statement added, “There is a time and place for emotionally charged debate. A commencement ceremony is not it.”
The University of Michigan reported that it receives more than $365 million from the state.
