A Columbia University student’s commencement speech was briefly interrupted when she attacked the university for its stance on Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists.
Saham David Ahmed Ali was filmed ranting about school and the attacks on Gaza during his talk at the Mailman School of Public Health on Tuesday.
The audio began to fail at the beginning of his speech and cut out briefly as students booed throughout the auditorium.
It comes after Columbia was forced to cancel its main graduation event because it had become a hotbed of activism over the Palestinian war.
Ali, who has since deleted his social media, said he thought it was “dystopian” to attend classes while “witnessing.”[ing] the genocide of the Palestinian people.’
Saham David Ahmed Ali was filmed ranting about school and the attacks on Gaza during his talk at the Mailman School of Public Health on Tuesday.
The audio began to fail at the beginning of his speech and cut out briefly as students booed throughout the auditorium.
“The silence on this campus and the pressure to say nothing while the administration and faculty claim ‘we are here for you’ while we actively witness the most televised genocide of our lives made me lose hope,” he said.
“The mass graves outside Al-Shifa Hospital found while we were sitting in our classrooms and learning about…” he said when his microphone suddenly stopped working.
As the microphone began to cut out, students in the crowd broke out in chants, repeatedly shouting “let her speak.”
It is unknown if the audio problem was intentional or simply a technical problem.
Despite the small disturbance, Ali was able to successfully deliver the rest of his anti-Israel rant while emphasizing his disapproval of the Ivy League school.
DailyMail.com has contacted Columbia University for comment.
Pictured: A New York City police officer patrols inside Columbia University, the prestigious university at the heart of the US campus of anti-war protests in Gaza.
Even though the school-wide graduation ceremony was canceled, Columbia students continued to express their dissatisfaction with the university during graduation weekend.
In an effort to protest the academic institution and the war between Israel and Hamas, students put on handcuffs, displayed Palestinian flags and tore up diplomas during a graduation ceremony at embattled Columbia University.
Friday’s start came on the heels of weeks of clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters, administrators and law enforcement.
Despite the controversy, some students maintained their fighting spirit. A social work graduate crossed the stage with her hands tied above her head as the audience rang out in applause.
As the livestream of the event was going on, he turned to the crowd and tore up his diploma.
During Columbia University’s graduation on Friday, a master’s student walked on stage with her hands tied above her head.
He quickly tore up his diploma after receiving it.
Several students put on keffiyehs and zip ties or handcuffs on their wrists.
Other students brandished the Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity with Gaza civilians.
The university announced it would cancel its main graduation last Monday, citing safety concerns. Dozens of smaller ceremonies will take place in their place.
The School of Professional Studies’ first two ceremonies went off without a hitch on Friday morning and afternoon.
But the School of Social Work graduation sparked conversation when protesters began marching across the stage at the Baker Athletics Complex.
Several students wore keffiyeh scarves, which have become closely associated with the Palestinian liberation movement.
Two girls brandished “Free Palestine” signs as they received their diplomas. Another student carried a flag emblazoned with the slogan “Divest Now,” a call for the university to withdraw its economic and academic interests from Israel.
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted a clip of the ceremony on Instagram, accompanied by a caption that read: “Students remind us all of Palestine at EVERY GRADUATION.”
A photo of a student’s graduation cap was also uploaded to the account, which had the words: ‘Recognize Gaza’s Class of 2024 and those who will never graduate.’
One student’s graduation cap was emblazoned with the words: “Recognize Gaza’s Class of 2024 and those who will never graduate.”
Several students were seen waving Palestinian flags. One student carried a flag that read “Divest Now,” a call for the university to withdraw its investments from Israel.
NYPD officers arrested dozens of protesters on April 30 and cleared Hamilton Hall after it was taken over by students who barricaded themselves inside.
Protests continued into Monday during ceremonies at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Some doctoral students chose to skip graduation altogether, leaving rows of seats empty in their absence. Several master’s students took the stage waving Palestinian flags during their graduation ceremony earlier in the day.
New York City Police Department officers arrested dozens of protesters on April 30 and cleared a building that had been taken over the previous day.
School officials said police had been called to campus for the second time in less than two weeks after Hamilton Hall was “vandalized and blocked.”
The students barricaded themselves inside the building and hung a banner reading “Hind’s Hall” from a balcony, a reference to six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was shot dead by Israeli security forces in January.
The NYPD told DailyMail.com that more than 100 protesters were arrested after police stormed the ‘Gaza solidarity camp’, ending a two-day sit-in in mid-April.
Earlier that month, officers detained more than 100 protesters, ending a two-day sit-in at the “Gaza solidarity camp.”
University President Nemat Shafik has asked the police department to maintain a presence on campus until at least May 17.
President Nemat Shafik has asked officers to maintain a presence on campus until at least May 17 to prevent similar occupations.
Last week, a group of 13 judges appointed by Donald Trump wrote a letter to Shafik expressing their refusal to hire student protesters as law clerks.
The judges stated that they had “lost confidence in Columbia as an institution of higher education,” considering the school “an incubator of intolerance.”
