The White House on Monday said it was “regrettable” that protests on the Columbia University campus over the war in Gaza had led the school to cancel its main graduation ceremony this year.
“It is regrettable that a small group of people went too far and cost their colleagues this important event,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“When it comes to graduation day and when it comes to speaking at graduation events, this is something that the president has done for some time and he understands that this is a time of joy, a time of celebration,” continued Jean- Pierre. “And we feel for them. We feel for every single one of the graduates… These are the graduates who are going to miss the incredibly important day of graduation.”
Jean-Pierre reiterated President Biden’s comments last week in which he harshly criticized aspects of the protests that have swept college campuses across the country in response to the war in Gaza.
“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it is against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, closing campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations. None of this is a peaceful protest, threatening people, intimidating people,” Biden said.
“Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must never lead to disorder,” he added.
Columbia announced Monday that it has canceled its main commencement ceremony with an official list of “security concerns” as one of the main factors.
The school will hold school-level graduation ceremonies, smaller events where only graduates from specific schools within the university will be recognized. Columbia, in a statement announcing the decision, said that “students emphasized that these smaller-scale school celebrations are more meaningful to them and their families.”
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