Columbia University cancels main commencement ceremony after Palestine protests

University says it will focus on ‘class days’ and smaller events

Police stand guard near a camp of protesters supporting Palestinians on the grounds of Columbia University. Reuters

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Columbia University will cancel its main commencement ceremony due to pro-Palestinian protests that have engulfed the campus for weeks, administrators said on Monday.

The elite New York City university was the site of a large student-led camp and protest in support of Palestine.

School administrators eventually called on the New York Police Department to break up the camp and try to restore order.

The protests have since spread to universities across the US, North America and Europe as a younger generation struggles with the horrors of a war broadcast across social media at a level never seen before.

The school has said it will focus on “class days” and “school-level ceremonies” rather than the customary graduation ceremony.

“These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our community,” the university said in a statement.

“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.”

As the protests continue to dominate campuses across the US, schools are struggling with how to honour graduating students – many of whom missed their high school ceremonies because of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions – while avoiding confrontation and disruption from demonstrations.

At the University of Michigan on Saturday, anti-war protesters waving Palestinian flags demonstrated at a massive outdoor commencement ceremony.

Watch: Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt graduation ceremony

Last month, the University of Southern California announced it would cancel its main graduation month in light of "new safety measures" and unrest after the school decided to not allow valedictorian Asna Tabassum to speak.

Ms Tabassum, who is Muslim, minored in genocide studies and has shared pro-Palestinian comments on social media, which some campus groups have called anti-Semitic.

Shortly after Columbia announced its decision, Emory University in Georgia, where large protests have also been held, decided to move its ceremonies.

“I have been firm in my commitment that Emory will celebrate our graduating students at commencement,” school president Gregory Fenves said in a statement.

“While that commitment has not changed, concerns about safety and security require us to adjust the plans.”

At George Washington University in the US capital, the institution's president called the student protest camp on the main lawn "illegal" and asked for help from the police.

"What is currently happening at GW is not a peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment or our university’s policies," Ellen Granberg said in a statement.

"The demonstration, like many around the country, has grown into what can only be classified as an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property."

Ms Granberg suggested that outside agitators had "co-opted" the protest.

"It is increasingly unsafe and a violation of university and city regulations to have so many unidentified and unvetted people from outside the GW community living on university property," she said.

Watch: Columbia students describe 'dystopian' night after police break up pro-Palestine camp