Columbia University Cancels Main Commencement Ceremony Amid Raging Pro-Hamas Demonstrations

Columbia University on Monday announced the cancellation of its main commencement ceremony, continuing a trend of universities declining to hold graduation events in light of a recent explosion of anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses.

The ceremony was scheduled to take place on May 15 on its New York City campus, where students, faculty, and other activists set up a pro-Hamas encampment that was taken down by police last week.

Columbia said in a statement that it will still hold smaller commencement ceremonies for its different schools, such as nursing and journalism. Smaller ceremonies that were supposed to be held outside on the university’s campus will be moved indoors. Meanwhile, replacement “class-day” events will take place primarily off-campus at the Baker Athletic Complex, roughly five miles north of Columbia University’s main campus.

The university cited its desire to “keep students safe” as the motive for cancelling the school’s main commencement event.

For nearly three weeks, university students have been amassing in the hundreds at a growing number of schools, taking over sections of campuses by setting up “Gaza Solidarity Encampments” and refusing to leave unless administrators condemn and boycott Israel. Footage of the protests has shown demonstrators chanting in support of Hamas, calling for the destruction of Israel, and even threatening to harm members of the Jewish community on campus. In many cases, activists have also lambasted the US and Western civilization more broadly.

The protests initially erupted across the US but have since spread to university campuses around the world, primarily in the West.

Amid the disruptions, several schools have canceled their spring-time graduation ceremonies, fearing the demonstrations could fuel unrest at large gatherings.

Still, New York politicians have encouraged universities to continue with regularly scheduled graduations.

“We will do our job, and if the institutions decide to graduate their students and celebrate a beautiful experience with their families, we’ll make sure it’s done in a peaceful manner,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a recent interview before Columbia’s decision.

In a public letter to university presidents, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote, “It is my expectation that every college and university in New York will celebrate commencement safely in person.”

Columbia has been the center of the recent wave of anti-Israel protests on campus, with activists setting up an encampment last month. As a result of the demonstrations, Columbia closed its main campus during the Jewish holiday of Passover, holding only virtual classes. Meanwhile, a prominent Orthodox rabbi at the school urged Jewish students to leave the campus and “return home as soon as possible” for their safety.

On April 30, protestors occupied Hamilton Hall, an administrative building on campus, leading to a standoff between protestors and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Eventually, hundreds of NYPD officers swept the building, arresting dozens of protesters including university students and professors. NYPD officials said they found signs that read “death to America” and “death to Israel” in the building.

Columbia was hardly the first school to decide to cancel its commencement ceremony amid the ongoing protests. Last month, University of Southern California (USC) provost Andrew Guzman announced that commencement had been cancelled there, after a string of pro-Hamas protests and the formation of encampments. The university said that “tradition must give way to safety” in its rationale for the cancellation. USC instead opted for smaller graduation events by school like Columbia, with a strict policy for bringing bags and a limited number of non-transferable tickets available to each graduate.

Washington University in St. Louis, similarly rocked by anti-Israel protests on campus, decided to stick with the regular commencement schedule. On April 27, over a hundred protesters including professors and former presidential candidate Jill Stein were arrested while protesting on campus. In response, the university placed fences around the borders of campus in the hopes of deterring future protests and to protect graduation festivities. The university issued guidelines for its commencement on May 13, including that graduates are forbidden from bringing bags, tickets are required, and guests are only permitted to bring a clear plastic bag.

“We’re hopeful that everyone in the WashU community will do their part to help ensure that these students in particular are able to have at least one graduation that is memorable for the right reasons,” Chancellor Andrew Martin wrote in an email to students.

Columbia’s cancellation came only days after commencement events at the University of Michigan were interrupted by pro-Hamas protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans about the university supporting genocide. Police prevented the protesters from reaching the main podium to the applause of most in attendance.

Demonstrators across the US and Europe have called for universities to condemn Israel’s ongoing war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza and to divest from any entities linked to the Jewish state.