Columbia University announced on Monday that it is canceling its main graduation ceremonies as fears over disruptions from anti-Israel protests continue to grow.
“Holding a large commencement ceremony on our campus presented security concerns that unfortunately proved insurmountable,” the Ivy League school said in a statement.
“We have decided to make the centerpiece of our commencement activities our class days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the university-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15.”
As per the Associated Press, Columbia University administrators made the decision after weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations disrupted campus life. Last week, New York City Police cleared a “Gaza solidarity encampment” on the university’s South Lawn, arresting hundreds of protesters in the process.
So far, pro-Hamas demonstrations have swept across nearly 140 colleges in 45 states, leading to approximately 2,500 arrests nationwide.
Over the weekend, Hamas sympathizers at the University of Michigan disrupted the commencement ceremony by wearing keffiyeh scarves and waving Palestinian flags. At the University of Toledo in Ohio, the keynote graduation speaker condemned Israel’s “crimes against humanity” in Gaza. Meanwhile, at least 17 Princeton University students have declared a hunger strike until campus officials meet with them to discuss a “cultural boycott of Israel,” according to the report.
