Columbia University cancels school-wide graduation after protest crackdown

WASHINGTON (AA) : New York’s Columbia University announced Monday the cancellation of its main graduation ceremony after calling in law enforcement to forcibly break up pro-Palestinian protests on campus last week.

The Ivy League school said it will instead hold “smaller-scale, school-based celebrations” to mark commencement following talks with student leaders.

“Based on their feedback, 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,” it said.

“These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community. Just as we are focused on making our graduation experience truly special, we continue to solicit student feedback and are looking at the possibility of a festive event on May 15 to take the place of the large, formal ceremony,” it added.

Columbia’s protests began in April, and have served as a flashpoint for the wider anti-war movement after school President Minouche Shafik asked the New York Police Department to deploy to the school’s campus on April 18, when over 100 people were taken into custody in an attempt to clear an encampment.

Demonstrators quickly adapted, however, and opened a new sit-in on another university lawn.

Shafik again requested the NYPD come to campus on April 30 to break up another protest site and clear students from an administrative building they had been occupying. In all, 112 people were taken into police custody.

This time around, Shafik requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on Columbia’s campus until at least May 17 – the day after the school’s multi-day graduation concludes – “to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.”​​​​​​​