The doctoral graduation ceremony was held in the Lundagård park, where until Thursday, students had been camping to show their support of Palestine.

They were forcibly removed by police early on Thursday morning in order to make room for the graduation ceremony. According to police, around 40 people were taken into custody for identification.

On Friday, students shouted “stop the bombing, now, now, now,” as the university fired cannons to celebrate its graduating doctoral students, Sydsvenskan journalists, who estimated the number of protesters as “around 80”, reported.

One of the participating doctoral graduates walked in the procession holding a large Palestinian flag, with more of the country’s flags painted on his cheeks, which was met with cheers by protestors.

There was a large police presence during the procession, where the police had cordoned off a large rectangle for protesters to stand in. Both the procession and the protest were over by 4pm, with no reported issues.

Students told local newspaper Sydsvenskan on Thursday that they wanted the university to stop collaborating with Israeli institutions.

“We understand that it’s important for the university to hold onto its traditions, but today they should be prioritising the Palestinian people,” a group of anonymous students told the newspaper.

“There’s an ongoing genocide happening in Gaza and ongoing occupation on the West Bank. We want the university to stop collaborating with Israeli institutions. We think our demands are reasonable.”

Friday’s protest received a mixed reception from Lund locals, Sydsvenskan reported. One asked “what have the graduating doctoral students done to you?”, while another shouted “long live Israel.”