Fourth Estate Staff
South Bend, IN, United States (4E) – A number of students walked out during the commencement exercises at the University of Notre Dame when it was time for Vice President Mike Pence to give his commencement speech.
Other students at the university, located at South Bend, Indiana, also booed the vice president. Those who walked out did not make any commotion other than standing up and walking out of the area where the commencement speech took place as they silently stood and walked out when Pence began his address.
Pence did not comment on the students walking out. He did talk about clashes at campuses due to controversial speakers such as that of Ann Coulter. Coulter’s talk at the University of California at Berkley was cancelled as many students protested against her talk. He noted of University of Notre Dame, “This university is a vanguard of the freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas at a time, sadly, when free speech and civility are waning on campuses across America.”
Before the commencement speech, Pence, who is a former Indiana governor, was invited for the event in place of President Donald Trump. Trump was originally invited to speak at the event but the move was met by protests from the students and faculty members alike. If Trump pushed through with the speech, he would have been the seventh U.S. president to give a commencement address at University of Notre Dame.
During the speech of Pence, he spoke of the president who recently talked before the leaders of 50 Arab and Muslim nations in Saudi Arabia. Pence said Trump spoke against religious persecution of all people of all faiths and the president condemned the “murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews and the slaughter of Christians.” This comes after the travel ban was ordered by Trump months ago against six Muslim majority countries.
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