Walking out of a United Nations session is not just a gesture; it is one of the classic forms of diplomatic protest at the world body, dating back to its earliest years.
This time, UNGA witnessed walkouts, the latest examples of a tactic countries have used for decades to signal opposition to rival states, controversial leaders or contentious policies without disrupting proceedings, according to Rosa Freedman, professor of law, conflict and global development at the University of Reading.
“The walkout is a symbolic peaceful protest,” Freedman said. “We have seen these throughout the eight decades that the United Nations has existed.”
This practice has always been an important part of the UN’s history. French diplomats staged a walkout during Algeria’s war for independence in the 1950s, while delegates protested after the Soviet Union invaded Hungary. Delegates from various countries also used walkouts to protest apartheid in South Africa.
In 1965, delegates left the General Assembly chamber while then-Cuban leader Fidel Castro was speaking. Castro had told the assembly that Cuba itself had become a concern for the world, as he addressed issues including the pressures facing his country.
The episode was one of several early examples of delegates using their physical absence from the chamber to register opposition during a speech or diplomatic dispute.
Such protests are generally intended to make a political point without preventing the session from continuing.
“Delegates, like all human beings, have fundamental human rights. And one of those human rights is freedom of expression, and another one is freedom of assembly,” Freedman said. “The right to peacefully protest is at the heart of the human rights movement and at the heart of international human rights law.”
Walkouts have also been used during speeches by leaders whose governments have been the subject of international criticism.
In 2011, the US and French delegations were among those that walked out during a speech by then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after he made remarks about the Holocaust and September 11.
More recently, delegates walked out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN address in 2025. This week, the Israeli delegation itself walked out during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s speech after he called on countries that had not recognised Palestine to reconsider their position.
Freedman said the tactic has become increasingly visible in recent years, particularly in relation to countries seen as powerful or protected at the United Nations.
“We've seen this in relation to Russia and Ukraine, particularly after the full-scale invasion in 2022. We've seen it in relation to Israel and particularly in relation to the right-wing government of Israel that's currently in place,” she said. “We've seen it being used against America, but also used against Turkey, against Iran.”
Walkouts can also reflect a refusal to recognise another state, rather than opposition to a particular speech or policy.
“There are many countries within the United Nations that do not recognise that other states exist,” Freedman said. “Over the years, countries have either walked out of the room in protest because the state speaking has actually attacked them, invaded them, been an aggressive state... But there have also been times that countries have walked out in protest at another member state's mere existence because they do not have international relations and because they do not want to recognise them as a legitimate state.”
The tactic, however, is not necessarily becoming more common simply because the world is facing more conflicts, Freedman said. Instead, she described it as a form of diplomatic tit-for-tat, with countries sometimes responding to earlier walkouts with their own.
“These types of protests will continue until they're seen to be effective,” she said. “And then they will shift to some form of other protest.”
For now, the walkout remains a relatively simple way for governments to register a public objection while allowing the proceedings to continue, making it a recurring feature of diplomacy at the United Nations.(With agency inputs from Reuters)