A graduate student at McGill University in Canada made a spitting gesture toward professors at a convocation ceremony, prompting cheers from the crowd.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, in which the student is seen making a gesture of spitting at the university officials on the stage.

During the Bachelor of Arts ceremony on June 3, the student unfurled a sign that read: “Stay away from death” after her name was called. She then made a spitting gesture at two officials on stage, including McGill president Deep Saini, and was greeted by applause and cheers from the crowd.

It is noteworthy that there were recent pro-Palestine demonstrations on the McGill campus, in which agitating students urged the university to consider withdrawing investments from companies whose revenues come primarily from weapons.

The event was broadcast live by the university, although the published version of the video shows the student walking towards the stage, but not the banner unveiling and the controversial antics. The official announcing the graduates pauses for a while after the student passes, seemingly distracted by the off-screen antics.

In response to the incident, McGill University released a statement to The Gazette, saying that officers were “focused on the ceremony itself, and therefore did not notice that the graduating student had gotten into an altercation.” The statement further said, “However, it was clear that the student was shouting and behaving extremely disrespectfully. The university is strongly committed to peaceful and respectful dialogue, even on the most divisive and painful issues.”

When asked about potential disciplinary action, the university said it “cannot comment on individual disciplinary processes or actions to respect the privacy of students or staff.” However, it stressed that “we take action when there is a violation of McGill’s student code of conduct, other policies, or, more specifically, the law.”