Columbia University Cancels Main Graduation Ceremony Over Gaza Protests

Columbia University on Monday cancelled its university-wide commencement ceremony scheduled for May 15 in favour of smaller, school-based events after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests roiled the Ivy League School.

"We have decided to make the centerpiece of our commencement activities our Class Days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the University-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15," Columbia said in a statement, calling the past few weeks "incredibly difficult for our community."

The protests at Columbia, which drew national attention, have inspired similar demonstrations at dozens of universities around the U.S. Students have called for a ceasefire in Gaza and have demanded their schools divest from companies with ties to Israel.

New York City police cleared a Columbia campus building last week that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian protesters, arresting more than 100 people and dismantling an encampment.

The school said on Monday it had consulted with student leaders in deciding how to handle graduation. The majority of the ceremonies, which had been set to take place on the Morningside Heights campus where most of the protests have taken place, will be moved to the university's main athletic complex, the statement said.

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