Adams Vows Peaceful NYC Graduations as Colleges Face Disruptions
(Bloomberg) — Commencement ceremonies were held at several US colleges over the weekend under the shadow of recent student protests against the Israel-Hamas war, even as other institutions grappled with how to navigate tensions ahead of their own events.
About 75 protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-war messages at the University of Michigan’s commencement on Saturday while at Indiana University, some students walked out of the graduation ceremony in protest of the conflict, according to the Associated Press. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams pledged to keep university graduation ceremonies in the city safe from violent protests over the war in Gaza, saying no one should be allowed to threaten them.
“We will make sure it’s done in a peaceful manner,” Adams said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. Graduations are “a wonderful experience” and “I don’t think we should allow anything to get in our normal way of life,” he said. “We will do our job.”
Protests Continue On College Campuses Across New York City
Universities across the US have faced wrenching decisions in dealing with a wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests as Israeli forces pursued military assaults in Gaza following an attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7. The protests have tested college administrators, some of whom have resorted to drastic measures.
Ahead of their own graduation events, several institutions have taken steps to clear their campuses. New York police entered Columbia University on Tuesday to remove protesters who had occupied a building, with about 300 people arrested at the university and nearby City College. Columbia President Minouche Shafik is allowing the NYPD to stay on campus for two weeks, including commencement on May 15 — the same day as New York University’s graduation ceremony.
Student Protesters Occupy Hamilton Hall After Columbia Began Suspensions
On Sunday, Los Angeles police cleared out protest camps at the University of Southern California, the second such operation. USC, which had already canceled its main commencement ceremony citing safety concerns, said the campus remains closed, though smaller graduation ceremonies remain on the schedule this week.
At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, police used pepper spray to break up a camp and arrested 25 protesters on Saturday, according to the Washington Post, while police said Sunday it cleared out camps at the Art Institute of Chicago. Students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which is affiliated with the institution, were among those arrested, the school said.
“We have to understand that this a defining moment for this generation,” Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, said on CBS’s Face the Nation. The “few” protesters inciting violence or engaging in antisemitism “are diminishing the thousands of young people who simply want the war to end,” he said.
Meanwhile, the University of California Los Angeles on Sunday announced the appointment of a new associate vice chancellor for campus safety. Rick Braziel, a former Sacramento Police Department chief, was named to the newly created role days after police dismantled barricades and tents erected at UCLA following a violent clash between demonstrators and counter-protesters.
Other schools have sought a more conciliatory approach. Northwestern University and Brown University are among institutions that have held discussions with students about demands to divest from businesses they say support Israel.
Such deals remain rare. University of Florida President Ben Sasse, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, on Sunday waved off calls to open up student discussions on investments.
“We just don’t negotiate with people who scream the loudest,” Sasse said on CNN’s State of the Union. “That just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Student Protesters Occupy Hamilton Hall After Columbia Began Suspensions
About 1,200 people were killed and another 250 kidnapped in the attack by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union. Israel’s response has killed at least 33,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The United Nations estimates that at least 75% of Gaza’s population has been displaced and more than half a million civilians are on the brink of famine.
Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who has criticized the unrest, questioned why protesters aren’t demanding that Hamas accept a cease-fire proposal that’s on the table. “The situation could end right now if Hamas just surrendered and they just sent all of those hostages home again,” he said on Face the Nation.
–With assistance from Esha Dey.
(Updates with new details throughout.)
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