Final year students and parents of the English School in Nicosia will hold a protest on Friday outside the school and the nearby Presidential Palace over the cancelled graduation ceremony.

The traditional ceremony was canceled in May after the annual overnight celebration to mark the end of school organised by the graduating class resulted in what school officials described as significant vandalism.

There will now only be a presentation of diplomas without the usual celebratory events.

Politis reported that damage from this year’s “pinta” celebration included graffiti, abusive messages targeted towards staff members and the school administration, and overturned furniture.

Between 50 and 70 students participated, according to the school, and there are roughly 160 students in the graduating class.

In a statement, some parents argued that the entire graduating class should not be impacted when most students did not participate in the actions. They noted the importance of the graduation ceremony and that some families had already made travel plans to attend.

The school was unable to identify the individual perpetrators despite security cameras and a security guard because some students wore masks and hoods, according to Politis.

After the incident, the school administration gave participating students the chance to voluntarily come forward and admit wrongdoing. Students did not come forward, and the administration decided to cancel the traditional graduation ceremony.

Now, the parents and students are calling on President Nikos Christodoulides to intervene and reconsider the cancellation.

Though the English School is a private school, its buildings are state property, and its Board of Directors is appointed by the Council of Ministers, which is chaired by the President.

The protest is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.