he University of Southern California canceled its main stage graduation ceremony Thursday under new safety measures being taken as the campus is roiled by protests stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
The university already canceled a planned commencement speech by the school’s pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns. Although many students will soon leave for the summer break, school officials worry that any ongoing protests could disrupt May commencement ceremonies. Students protesting the war are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling the conflict. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.
“For me, the scariest moment was holding these umbrellas out in case we were tear-gassed, and hearing them come, and hearing their boots on the ground, just pounding into the ground louder than we could chant, and not being able to see a single person,” she said. At USC, tensions were already high after the university canceled a planned commencement speech by the school’s pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns. After scuffles with police early Wednesday, a few dozen demonstrators standing in a circle with locked arms were detained one by one later in the evening.
North of USC, protesters at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, remained barricaded inside a building for a third day. The school shut down campus through the weekend and made classes virtual.