Columbia University cancels main commencement ceremony following weeks of unrest

Columbia University has canceled its main commencement ceremony in response to weeks of pro-Palestinian, student-led protests on its New York City campus. According to the Associated Press (AP), the elite university will instead focus on smaller commencement ceremonies for its schools beginning this week.

In recent weeks, hundreds of student protestors established a camp within Columbia’s campus to protest the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, largely voicing support for Palestine. The student protestors are demanding schools cut ties with companies that fund the Israeli war effort, according to the AP.

The protests led to clashes with law enforcement and over 200 arrests. Columbia canceled all in-person classes in response to the upheaval.

In the wake of the protests at Columbia, similar occupations have sprung up at universities around the nation including the University of Chicago, Depaul University, and The University of Michigan.

Universities across the nation have faced complications in hosting their traditional commencement ceremonies due to the protests. The University of Michigan’s ceremony on Saturday was interrupted by bouts of chanting, while in Boston, protestors at Northeastern’s commencement waved Palestinian and Israeli flags, according to the AP.

The nationwide college protests stem from the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to the AP. In response to the attacks by Hamas, Israel unleashed an offensive that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinains to date, including large numbers of women and children.