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Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman on Wednesday bizarrely chose to stoke the flames by acknowledging arrested ex-grad student Mahmoud Khalil at the Ivy League school’s chaotic graduation.
Hoards of graduating students in the riled-up audience began chanting Khalil’s name and nearly booed Shipman off the stage throughout her remarks at the embattled university’s commencement.
“We firmly believe that our international students have the same rights to freedom of speech as everyone else, and they should not be targeted by the government for exercising their right,” Shipman told the crowd of nearly 37,000.
Columbia University interim President Claire Shipman name-dropped arrested former grad student Mahmoud Khalil at Wednesday’s commencement ceremony for the Ivy League school. via REUTERS“I know many in our community are mourning the absence of our graduate, Mahmoud Khalil,” she said.
Khalil was arrested by ICE agents at an off-campus apartment owned by the university in March and whisked away to a Louisiana migrant detention facility awaiting deportation.
The Trump administration claims Khalil, who served as a spokesman for anti-Israel groups including Columbia University Apartheid Divest, engaged in activities “aligned to Hamas,” the Palestinian terror group.
Some students at the ceremony told The Post they felt Shipman’s shout-out of the former grad student — who helped organize on-campus protests where pro-Hamas literature was handed out — was inappropriate.
“‘Mourning?’ Is he dead?” a Columbia undergrad who declined to identify herself said sarcastically.
“What about the hostages who are dead? We should be mourning them,” she said of the Israelis taken captive Oct. 3, 2023, and slain.
“I don’t think a day like this she should mention that,” she said before her parents dragged her away to stop her from saying more.
Mahmoud Khalil, who helped organize anti-Israel protests at Columbia University dating back to last spring, was arrested by ICE agents in March and is slated for deportation. Getty ImagesA man named Ethan, 22, an engineering graduate, said he also thought it was bizarre Shipman would mention Khalil.
“I think the crowd was surprised. There was a moment of [stunned] silence,” he said.
“It’s kind of mourning someone who is not dead. He has also graduated, he’s not a student anymore,” he pointed out.
“It’s strange that she’d mention it.”
He compared the name-drop to Shipman extending an unnecessary olive branch to the anti-Israel side.
“Columbia has shown a clear attachment to the side of Palestine. There’s no need to extend an olive branch to the side you are on,” he said.
Ethan said at least some of the boos were likely not directed at Shipman specifically.
“The booing of hatred is not for the president, but the board of trustees — the lack of action,” he said, referring to their alleged failure to crack down more on campus antisemitism.
Two students were arrested outside the campus during the ceremony and released with desk appearance tickets, cops said, including one graduate who burned a diploma in protest.
Additional reporting by Amanda Woods
English (US)