Columbia cancels main graduation ceremony after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests

Columbia University has cancelled its main graduation ceremony after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at the Ivy League college’s campus.

“Holding a large commencement ceremony on our campus presented security concerns that unfortunately proved insurmountable,” said Columbia spokesman Ben Chang. “Like our students, we are deeply disappointed with this outcome.”

Graduation had been scheduled for May 15.

Mr Chang said the university had sought an alternative venue but was unable to find one that could accommodate the students, families, and guests in attendance, who usually exceed 50,000. The university will still hold smaller, school-based events.

The protests at Columbia have inspired similar demonstrations at dozens of universities across the United States and the world. Students have called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded their schools divest from companies with ties to Israel.

On Monday, Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal with Israel in Gaza. However, Israel said it was a “softened” Egyptian proposal that was not acceptable.

During the six-month war more than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military operations in Gaza, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory. Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct 7 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 252 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza.

As protests gathered steam some universities, including Columbia, called in riot police wielding batons and flash-bang grenades to disperse and arrest hundreds of protesters, citing the need for campus safety. Civil rights groups have called violent infringements on free speech.

The turmoil on campuses has prompted colleges across the US to relocate, modify or cancel commencement ceremonies altogether.

In April 2024, the University of Southern California called off its main-stage ceremony one week after cancelling the valedictorian speech by a Muslim student who said she was silenced by anti-Palestinian hatred.

Columbia said on Monday it had consulted with student leaders in deciding how to handle graduation. The majority of the smaller ceremonies, which had been set to take place on its upper Manhattan campus where most of the protests have occurred, have been moved to the main athletic complex about five miles away.

The demonstrations have emerged as a political flashpoint during a contentious election year as Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former US president Donald Trump look set to face off in a rematch for the White House.