Mayor Adams Urges NYC Colleges to Proceed With Graduation Ceremonies Despite Protests

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in a Sunday interview on ABC’s “This Week,” encouraged local universities to continue with their planned graduation ceremonies, despite attempts by anti-Israel protestors to disrupt these events. 

Adams stated, “It’s a wonderful experience to graduate from an institution, and I don’t think we should allow anything to get in the way of our normal way of life.”

The mayor also assured that the city would support the institutions in ensuring peaceful graduation celebrations. 

“We will do our job, and if the institutions decide to graduate their students and celebrate a beautiful experience with their families, we’ll make sure it’s done in a peaceful manner,” he asserted.

Mayor Adams’ determination to proceed with graduation ceremonies mirrors recent statements by Governor Kathy Hochul, who highlighted that numerous graduating seniors in 2024 missed out on their high school commencements four years ago due to the pandemic.

Amid concerns over the escalation of campus protests, particularly at Columbia University and CUNY’s City College in Manhattan, Mayor Adams defended the NYPD’s stringent response to the unrest, which he described as turning violent when protestors, including non-student agitators, began to occupy and vandalize property. 

“When those protests reach the point of violence, we have to ensure that we use a minimum amount of force to terminate what is perceived to be a threat,” Adams explained during his interview with co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

The intervention followed extensive communication between law enforcement and Columbia’s administration, with intelligence indicating the involvement of external provocateurs. 

Mayor Adam expressed concern over the intelligence gathered by the Police Department’s intelligence division regarding outsider agitators inciting unrest at Columbia and other campuses.

He said, “When I use the term of ‘outside agitators,’ anyone can protest in the city, but when you’re on college grounds, and you do not attend that college, you are an outsider, and then when you train people to do destructive things, you are an agitator.” 

The mayor continued, “I’m not trying to be politically correct. I’m trying to be correct for the city of New York as we make sure the city continues to be safe.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, the mayor’s office and the NYPD revealed that only around 30% of the 112 protesters arrested at Columbia during a police raid on Tuesday had no affiliation with the school. 

In contrast, 60% of the 170 individuals arrested at City College’s Harlem campus were unaffiliated. 

Representative Jamaal Bowman criticized the mayor and argued that the campus raids and subsequent arrests contradict the foundational role of education in democracy.

Responding to these criticisms, Mayor Adams stated, “One has the right to have his or her opinion, and I respect that. And I have an obligation and responsibility to ensure the city is safe.”