Columbia University announced Monday it will cancel its university-wide graduation ceremony, just days after pro-Palestinian protests roiled dozens of commencement ceremonies this weekend.
At the University of Michigan on Saturday, protestors carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans disrupted the graduation.
Fifty graduates held signs and chanted, “Disclose, divest! We will not stop, we will not rest,” during the ceremony.
“I can’t even hear what’s going on with the graduation with this going,” graduate Jacob Johnson said. “A lot of these people, their senior year of high school was during COVID, so they already had that ruined and then now you have this going on too. It’s like give these people a break.”
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The university, which has allowed protesters to set up an encampment on campus, anticipated a demonstration and had a plan to minimize disruption. There were no clashes between protestors and graduation attendees.
Meanwhile, police continue to clear other campuses.
At the Art University of Chicago, 68 people were arrested as a S.W.A.T team removed protestors trying to set up an encampment.
And a similar situation took place at the University of Virginia where police in riot gear took at least 25 people into custody.
The University of Southern California (USC) canceled its valedictorian’s commencement speech, celebrity speaker appearances, and its “main stage” commencement ceremony citing the possibility of disruptions, the New York Times reports.
USC officers continued to keep a close watch as campus security removed protestors and took down their tents.
At Columbia University, school officials have asked the New York police to maintain a presence on campus through May 17th.
Who Actually Wants ‘Death to America’?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams responded to criticism of police action by pointing out the radical nature of some protestors.
NYPD reveals protestors in NYC had signs with pro-terrorist statements such as “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” https://t.co/1buVfCMTBI
— CBN News (@CBNNews) May 3, 2024
“There was one of the fliers that was found inside the protests, and if you look closely, it says, ‘Death to America’. There’s a real attempt to radicalize our young people, and when you look at some of the information and some of the people who were there, we need to be clear that we cannot take this lightly,” he said.
In the past CBN News has reported that the radical Islamic regime in Iran, and their terrorist proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, are some of the primary proponents of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”.
Now those anti-American chants aren’t just being shouted from the Middle East, they’re also happening inside America. A recent display of hatred for America took place in the predominantly Muslim city of Dearborn, Michigan during a Muslim holiday.
APRIL 2024 – ‘We’ve Passed the Rubicon’: Leftists Chant ‘Death to America’
Meanwhile, the White House is finally speaking out condemning the extreme protests on college campuses after more than two weeks.
“There is a right to protest,” Biden said Thursday. “But there is not a right to cause chaos.”
“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it’s against the law,” he added. “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduation, none of this is a peaceful protest.”