USC Cancels Main Stage Graduation Ceremony In Wake Of Pro-Palestinian Protest, Dozens Of Arrests

The University of Southern California on Thursday announced that it was canceling the main stage graduation ceremony, citing new safety measures in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests a day earlier in which more than 90 people were arrested.

In a notice to the students, USC said there will still be traditional individual school commencement ceremonies, in which students cross the stage, have their names announced, are photographed, and receive their diplomas.

But for the main stage ceremony, which typically attracts upwards of 60,000 people, administrators said the time window was too short to accommodate new security measures put in place after Wednesday's demonstration, adding, "We understand that this is disappointing."

The USC ceremony was scheduled for May 10.

Asna Tabassum’s selection as valedictorian was met by criticism from some student groups, including Trojans for Israel, for what they described as her “anti-Zionist rhetoric” and external online sites she had linked to on her Instagram profile. External pro-Israeli groups like We are Tov also criticized her selection, saying she “promotes antisemitic views.”

Tabassum has defended her social media profile, saying she linked to the information "for people to inform themselves, come to their own conclusions, and then advocate for what they believe in."

Her defenders have since staged demonstrations and mounted a letter writing to pressure the administration into reversing the decision.

Meanwhile, in the wake of Wednesday's protest that saw dozens of LAPD officers in riot gear scuffling with some demonstrators, patrols will continue through at least this weekend on campus, which is only open to those with a USC ID or people with verifiable business there.

Students and protesters chant at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Zain Shukr, a sophomore studying political economy, told LAist he was “uncomfortable” with the university’s “violent response to a peaceful protest.”

“I think it's almost ironic the amount of security that they're using for this event when we have students like Asna, who is unable to speak at her own graduation because of lack of security,” he said.

As the demonstration unfolded Wednesday, USC’s Provost Andrew Guzman said protesters were repeatedly asked by security officers to remove prohibited items and relocate to a "compliant location."

"In each case, protesters refused," he added. "Their actions have escalated to the point of confrontation and have threatened the safety of our officers and campus community."

The organizers of the protest said at a news conference Thursday that they had peaceful activities like yoga, art and craft, teach-ins planned before their camp-in protest was interrupted.

But in a statement posted on their Instagram page, the USC Hillel group said some of the protester chants on Wednesday were antisemitic, namely “there is only one solution, intifada revolution” and “long live the intifada.”

Intifada is an Arabic word meaning to "shake off" used in the Palestinian context for uprising.

“No student should feel unwelcome in their own campus home, and our Jewish students are telling us that these actions and this hostile rhetoric induce feelings of fear, terror and instability,” the statement added.

In a statement Friday, USC President Carol Folt said that while no one wants to have people arrested on their campus, "when long-standing safety policies are flagrantly violated, buildings vandalized, DPS directives repeatedly ignored, threatening language shouted, people assaulted, and access to critical academic buildings blocked, we must act immediately to protect our community."

"USC has long-standing protocols that allow for peaceful protesting, and we have been working successfully with our community to ensure these rules have been followed at gatherings, protests, and vigils taking place all year," she added.