Mayor Adams defiantly tells NYC colleges to hold graduation ceremonies, don’t cave to provocateurs

Mayor Eric Adams defiantly told New York City colleges Sunday that they should move forward with their graduation ceremonies and not cave to anti-Israel provocateurs looking to disrupt the proceedings.

“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,” Adams said on ABC’s “This Week.”

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

The mayor defended the police crackdown on campus protests at Columbia University and CUNY’s City College in Manhattan, two of a slew of anti-Israel disturbances across the country.

Adams said the Manhattan school protests escalated into criminal activity and violence when protesters — including many “agitators” who were not students — occupied a building and vandalized 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 told co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

Hizzoner said the police raid and arrests occurred after days of communication between the NYPD and Columbia’s administrators.

He said the information gathered by the Police Department’s intelligence division about outsider “agitators” fomenting unrest at Columbia and other campuses was “concerning.

“We knew we had to get permission unless there’s imminent threat to life or severe threat to property,” he said of the riot cops who moved in.  “We were not going to overstep our legal authority.”

Karl asked Adams about criticism from Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-Westchester/Bronx), who said the campus raids and arrests of students by the the NYPD and other cops across country goes against “the role of education as the cornerstone of our democracy.”

“One has the right to have his or her opinion, and I respect that,” the mayor said. “And I have an obligation and responsibility to ensure the city is safe.”

He went on to say that outside agitators are making “a real attempt to radicalize our young people.

“We can’t take this lightly,” he said.

The mayor showed a flier from one of the protests that read, “Death to America.”

“This has left the point of advocating for a particular item,” he said.

“When you’re on college grounds and you do not attend that college, you’re an outsider. And then when you train people to do destructive things, you are an agitator. So, 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.”