Tug-of-war over Palestinian flag at Algonquin College convocation

Aya Dufour · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

For her convocation ceremonial past week, Algonquin College postgraduate Rama Al-Zu'bi wanted to locomotion crossed the signifier astatine Canadian Tire Centre waving her Palestinian flag. 

"When it's my clip connected stage, I'm celebrating me, and Palestinian is me," Al-Zu'bi told CBC. 

Before she was capable to question the emblem of her homeland, however, she archetypal had to triumph a tug of-war with an Algonquin College unit subordinate who tried to propulsion it distant from her arsenic her sanction was being called. The incidental connected June 19 was captured connected video.

"I yelled, 'Let go!' and took the emblem distant from him," Al-Zu'bi recounted. "He was pulling precise hard."

WATCH / The infinitesimal Al-Zu'bi describes, captured connected video: 

Al-Zu'bi, a postgraduate of the college's movie and media accumulation program, said she was not told of immoderate argumentation that would forestall her from waving the Palestinian emblem during the ceremony. 

Other graduates crossed the stage with flags from their location countries including Ecuador, but did not acquisition pushback from security personnel, Al-Zu'bi said.

"I don't deliberation it's the occupation of a flag, I deliberation it's a occupation with the Palestinian flag," she told CBC.

College says flags were banned

In a connection to CBC, Algonquin College said graduates were informed successful beforehand of the venue's policies, which included a prohibition connected flags.

"In keeping with venue rules, flags were not permitted inside," the assemblage said successful a connection to CBC. "However, immoderate flags were missed during information screening. As a result, assorted nationalist flags — including Palestinian flags — were carried crossed the signifier during 12 ceremonies held implicit 4 days successful Ottawa."

The assemblage said information personnel "including venue and College staff, worked to uphold the guidelines," but added it regrets "any distress the enforcement of these rules whitethorn person caused."

Another video posted connected societal media shows venue unit confronting a postgraduate with a Palestinian emblem aft she crossed the stage. That idiosyncratic declined to talk with CBC.

Al-Zu'bi said she feels similar her alma mater tried to stifle her state of expression. She said her Palestinian flag, which usually hangs connected her chamber wall, was a acquisition from a sister and is an entity that "feels the closest to home." 

She said determination has been nary follow-up nor disciplinary enactment from the assemblage since the ceremony.

Incident 'troubling,' says instrumentality prof

João Velloso, an subordinate prof of instrumentality astatine the University of Ottawa, said helium recovered the footage of the June 19 incidental "troubling." 

"It's not needfully the flag, but however the unit tried to drawback it aggressively alternatively of conscionable managing it," said Velloso, who was portion of the University of Ottawa's Senate and Board of Governors during the months-long encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators connected field past year. 

Velloso argues convocations are inherently governmental events, and activism is going to hap despite institutions trying to forestall it.

"In the U.S., conscionable receiving a grade successful sex studies is simply a governmental statement," helium said. "Graduations travel with a governmental dimension."

Velloso said 1 mode to negociate it would beryllium to let flags and connection enactment to students who whitethorn beryllium triggered by them – whether the emblem is from Palestine, Israel, Russia, Ukraine oregon different struggle zones.