‘Protest at the Commencement’ canceled by the University of Columbia in the end

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Buildings Occupied, Columbia Campus Closed After Pro-Palestinian Protest…

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New York police entering the occupied protest site at Columbia University
[Reuters Union News File Photo]

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(New York=Yonhap News) By Lee Ji-heon = Columbia University in New York, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses, has canceled the university-wide official graduation ceremony scheduled for the 15th due to safety reasons.

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Columbia University announced on the 6th (local time) in a statement, “Based on student opinions, we have decided that it is preferable to hold this year’s graduation event at the level of individual schools rather than the university-wide event scheduled for the 15th.”

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As a result, Columbia University plans to hold separate graduation events organized by each school during the graduation week from the 10th to the 16th.

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The venue for the school-specific graduation ceremonies has also been changed to the university’s outdoor sports field (Baker Athletics Complex) instead of inside the campus.

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Earlier, Columbia University had expressed its intention to hold the official university-wide graduation ceremony as scheduled on the 15th, citing the fact that a majority of this year’s graduates did not have face-to-face high school graduation events due to the COVID-19 period.

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However, after protesters occupied the campus building Hamilton Hall on the 30th of last month and police forcibly evicted them, access to the campus was restricted, making it practically impossible to hold a normal graduation ceremony.

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During the eviction of the occupation protesters by the police, 46 occupiers and over 100 demonstrators in the campus area were arrested.

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As pro-Palestinian protests spread among U.S. universities, some other institutions have also canceled official graduation ceremonies.

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USC (University of Southern California) in Los Angeles, where over 90 people were arrested in fierce protests, had to cancel their official graduation ceremony as protests continued.

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At some universities, pro-Palestinian protests continued even during graduation ceremonies.

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At the graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan on the 4th, about 75 people wearing academic gowns and checkered scarves raised the Palestinian flag during a ‘surprise protest,’ while at Indiana University’s graduation ceremony, students were escorted out while chanting “Free Palestine” during President Pamela Whitten’s speech. At the University of Virginia, police also arrested 25 people while dispersing protesters.

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