University of Southern California Postpones Graduation Ceremony Due to Israel-Gaza Conflict Protests on US Campus

Due to worldwide protests, the USC has canceled both this year’s valedictorian speech and its main graduation ceremony, citing security concerns.

Amid widespread demonstrations spurred by the Israel-Gaza war, the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles has decided to postpone its primary graduation ceremony scheduled for May 10th, citing safety concerns.

This action comes in the wake of similar protests on US universities, such as Emory University in Atlanta, where 28 demonstrators were detained for refusing to leave, and Columbia University in New York City, which abandoned its deadline for disbanding an encampment on campus.

Earlier this month, protests broke out at USC, leading to the demolition of an encampment and at least 93 arrests for trespassing.

Furthermore, USC was embroiled in controversy when it said that Asna Tabassum, a Muslim student, would no longer be permitted to give the valedictorian address because of unidentified security risks.

Demonstrators at Emory University declared their support for Palestinians and opposed to Atlanta’s “Cop City,” a police training facility. According to Emory police, demonstrators used chemical irritants in reaction to objects hurled at cops and broke over barriers put up for the demonstration to begin.

Noelle McAfee, the chair of Emory’s philosophy department, was among the demonstrators who said that the demonstration was peaceful up until the police intervened.

Protests on US campuses have been sparked by requests for institutions to cut their ties to businesses that back Israel’s activities in Gaza. Israel is being accused of genocide in the International Court of Justice by South Africa, a charge it refutes.

Yale University law student Chisato Mimura accused President Joe Biden and university authorities of supporting businesses engaged in the fighting and of participating in genocide.

Jewish students have voiced their support and concerns about the protests, despite the fact that some have been accused of antisemitic.

The administration at Columbia University, the site of the protests, had imposed a deadline for putting an end to disturbances, but it was eventually lifted in the course of ongoing discussions.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, criticized the police crackdown on demonstrators and highlighted the movement’s expansion while she was on campus.

She declared, “This is a movement that began with just 70 students, but it has now spread nationally and internationally because Columbia University decided to crack down on them and violate their First Amendment [rights].”