Columbia University cancels commencement ceremony due to ongoing protests
The protests stem from the conflict that began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Photographer: Alex Kent/Getty Images
Columbia University is canceling its large university-wide commencement ceremony amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests, but will hold smaller school ceremonies this week and next, the university announced Monday.
Based on feedback from our students, we have decided to focus on our Class Days and school-level graduation ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, and to forego the university-wide ceremony scheduled for May 15, officials from Columbia said in a statement.
The protests stem from the conflict that began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled area, about two-thirds of whom were women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Israeli attacks have destroyed the enclave and displaced most of its residents.
The University of Southern California previously canceled its main graduation ceremony, while allowing other commencement activities to proceed.
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First print: May 6, 2024 | 7:23 PM IST