WATCH: Columbia’s acting president nearly booed off stage by pro-Hamas protesters at graduation

Videos from the event show the boos intensifying as Shipman began her speech, with some students waving Palestinian flags and chanting loudly throughout her remarks.

By Jewish Breaking News

What was meant to be a celebration of academic achievement quickly turned into a chaotic political protest as Columbia University’s acting president, Claire Shipman, was nearly booed off stage during the school’s graduation ceremony on Monday.

As Shipman stepped up to address the graduates, she was immediately met with loud jeers, chants, and disruption from a faction of anti-Israel student protesters.

Many shouted “Free Mahmoud!”—a reference to Mahmoud Khalil, the graduate student and activist who was arrested in March by federal immigration officials after leading pro-Hamas protests and encampments on campus.

Khalil remains in ICE custody in Louisiana, facing deportation.

Videos from the event show the boos intensifying as Shipman began her speech, with some students waving Palestinian flags and chanting loudly throughout her remarks.

Another clip from students booing acting President Claire Shipman
during the graduation ceremony for Columbia College Class of 2025.

Shipman couldn’t go five seconds without students’ chants, including demanding she get off the stage, drowning out her speech.

“You arrested… pic.twitter.com/8aAyHH0B7D

— Jessica Schwalb (@jessicaschwalb7) May 20, 2025

Columbia University acting president Claire Shipman was met with boos from Columbia College students on Tuesday during her commencement speech.

Shipman has been criticized for authorizing the NYPD to enter a Columbia library where students were protesting, leading to the arrests… pic.twitter.com/H69hV2rZXr

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 20, 2025

The disruption was so sustained that several attendees reported they could barely hear her over the chants.

Shipman, who was appointed acting president following the resignation of Katrina Armstrong amid the university’s turmoil, tried to press on with her address, emphasizing unity and free speech.

However, the angry crowd of activists overshadowed much of the message.

The protest underscores the ongoing tension at Columbia, which has become a national flashpoint in the campus free speech debate amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Federal scrutiny has increased, with the Trump administration cracking down on what it calls “pro-Hamas radicalization” on college campuses.

Supporters of Khalil argue his arrest is politically motivated and an attack on free expression, while critics say Columbia allowed hostile, antisemitic activism to fester under the guise of protest.

anti-Israel protestersClaire ShipmanColumbiagraduation ceremony