Diplomas in Flames, Arrests at the Gate: Chaos Erupts Outside Columbia U’s Graduation as Anti-Israel Protesters Disrupt Ceremony

By: Fern Sidman

The annual commencement ceremony at Columbia University — a typically proud and ceremonial day — was overshadowed Wednesday by scenes of disorder, political outrage, and law enforcement intervention, as anti-Israel demonstrators clashed with police just beyond the ivy-clad walls of the Morningside Heights campus. At least two protesters were arrested in connection with the melee, according to The New York Post, which has been closely tracking the unfolding unrest at the elite Manhattan institution.

Despite a crowd of over 37,000 attendees inside the campus who gathered to honor the university’s graduating class, tensions outside boiled over when dozens of anti-Israel activists, many affiliated with the radical Columbia University Apartheid Divest group (CUAD), staged a rowdy protest. The NYPD was summoned to confront the demonstrators, who had amassed across the street from Columbia’s main gates, engaging in shouting matches, brandishing inflammatory placards, and in some cases, ceremonially burning their diplomas in protest.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, demonstrators repeatedly chanted slogans accusing Israel of “genocide,” referencing the ongoing war in Gaza, and called for the university to divest from companies with ties to the Jewish state. Many also demanded the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia graduate student who was detained by ICE in March. Khalil, a CUAD spokesperson and prominent face of the campus anti-Israel movement, is currently awaiting deportation under accusations that he engaged in activities allegedly “aligned to Hamas,” according to sources cited by The New York Post.

Inside the gates, the ceremony proceeded — at least formally. But even within the sanctuary of Columbia’s manicured lawns and regal architecture, the disruptions could not be entirely contained. Acting university president Claire Shipman, delivering her keynote commencement address, struggled to be heard as chants from the protesters — some of whom appeared to have infiltrated the crowd — drowned out parts of her speech. The demands for Khalil’s release echoed alongside accusations that the administration is complicit in what demonstrators characterize as “genocide” in Gaza.

CUAD had explicitly warned of such disruptions in a post on X (formerly Twitter) the day prior. “WEAR A MASK! GET LOUD! BRING NOISE! NO COMMENCEMENT AS USUAL UNDER GENOCIDE!” the group’s call to action declared. According to The New York Post report, university administrators had been bracing for turbulence, especially after last year’s commencement was canceled outright due to security concerns tied to the sprawling anti-Israel encampment that overtook Columbia’s campus for much of the spring.

This year, university officials implemented heightened security protocols, including a significantly more limited media presence and the deployment of NYPD officers in strategic locations. Still, the measures were not enough to prevent a volatile street scene just outside the perimeter.

A source within the NYPD told The New York Post that law enforcement officials were uncertain who exactly had summoned them to the Morningside Heights location but confirmed that two individuals had been arrested in the process of restoring order.

Observers told The New York Post that many protesters, some clad in graduation gowns, had purposely blended in with the student population before unveiling protest banners, disrupting ceremonies, and joining others outside the gates. Several graduates appeared to coordinate their protest actions, including the highly symbolic act of burning their degrees — a gesture that stunned onlookers and drew swift rebuke on social media.

University spokespeople offered no immediate comment on the arrests but issued a brief statement thanking NYPD officers for maintaining safety and reaffirming Columbia’s “commitment to free expression within the boundaries of lawful conduct and institutional policy.”

Critics, however, argue that Columbia continues to enable an increasingly radicalized campus climate. “This was supposed to be a day of celebration,” one parent told The New York Post, “but instead, we’re watching these students torch their diplomas and accuse the university — and by extension, all of us — of crimes against humanity. It’s unrecognizable.”

Supporters of the protests, however, said that the moment demanded moral clarity. “We cannot sit silently while genocide is being committed with American tax dollars,” one CUAD-affiliated graduate told The New York Post, echoing a sentiment seen on many of the protest signs.

As the ceremony concluded, the spectacle left behind a city-block’s worth of debris, two detained activists, and a cloud of questions about the future of Columbia University’s campus climate. With federal immigration authorities still holding Khalil, and the war in Gaza far from over, few believe that the storm has passed.

Wednesday’s chaos at Columbia may be only the beginning of what promises to be a long summer of unrest at America’s most elite institutions.