23-year-old detained at Northeastern's commencement at Fenway Park

A week after police arrested nearly 100 protesters at Northeastern, the school held its commencement exercises Sunday at Fenway Park for the fourth consecutive year, and one person was detained during that ceremony.

Boston police told NBC10 Boston they detained a 23-year-old who was later booked, but they did not say what charges he was facing. It also wasn't clear if he was a student or a guest of someone graduating.

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A video feed from the event shows a person was approaching the main stage at Fenway, shouting, according to witnesses, when a university speaker began addressing the unfolding situation, saying, "We respect your passion and opinions. We respect your right to voice them in the appropriate setting."

Northeastern University later confirmed in a statement from its vice president for communications that an individual had been promptly apprehended and arrested after attempting to disrupt the undergraduate ceremony, noting nearly 30,000 others celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2024.

There was heavy security at Fenway on Sunday. The home of the Boston Red Sox had said it would help security officials monitor the crowd and limit what people could bring. Signs, banners, balloons and full-size flags were prohibited in the stadium, along with most bags.

Renata Nyul had said public safety staffing would be strengthened with about 50,000 graduates, family and friends expected at the venue. All those entering Fenway had to pass through metal detectors.

The disruption at Fenway was minimal Sunday and the graduation went on as scheduled, but the school held more than 15 academic ceremonies this week to celebrate students, and there were also issues at different NU ceremonies this weekend, including a more disruptive incident on Sunday and a flag controversy on Saturday.

A video posted Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter, appeared to show a graduate student covered in fake blood, wearing a shirt that read "NEU KILLS," storming the stage to protest Northeastern's alleged complicity in genocide.

The speaker on stage addressed the crowd with the same prepared message that was given at Fenway, adding, "This event honors our graduates and distinguished guests and is a celebration of their achievements. Out of respect for your community, and honored guests, I ask that you let us continue with this event."

Security appeared to apprehend that person, as well. In another statement from the university, Nyul characterized this as a "disruptive stunt by one student at a college ceremony that was upsetting to everyone who attended the event."

The livestream video showing that ceremony from the College of Social Sciences & Humanities appeared to have been taken down from online, to which Nyul replied, "Out of respect for members of our community, we will not amplify this disgraceful behavior by making it available online.”

At a different academic ceremony on Saturday, video posted on Instagram showed a commencement volunteer taking a Palestinian flag from a student right before they crossed the stage. The university told NBC10 Boston that it was a mistake and it was immediately corrected.

“Students are permitted to bring flags that are 12” by 18” or smaller. Larger flags are not permitted — irrespective of which nation a flag represents,” the university added of their policy.

Northeastern University is one of several universities in the Boston area that have had pro-Palestinian encampments. Some have let the protests continue, though Northeastern’s camp was broken up last weekend.

With student protests over the Israel-Hamas war disrupting campuses nationwide, major schools like Northeastern were intent on ensuring that commencement ceremonies — joyous milestones for graduates, their families and friends — went off without a hitch this weekend.

Knowing it wouldn't be easy, colleges were hiring extra security, screening attendees at venues and emphasizing that significant disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters wouldn’t be tolerated. At the same time, they pledged to honor free-speech rights by designating protest zones.

“While we realize that issues in the world prompt passionate viewpoints, the focus this weekend should be on our graduates and their remarkable achievements,” Nyul previously said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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