The Massachusetts Institute of Technology prohibited the president of the 2025 class of the start of the graduation on Friday after having made a pro-Palestinian speech on Thursday during an event.
The university made this announcement Friday without naming the student, saying that it had delivered a speech during the starting ceremony on Thursday which was not the one in advance.
“Although this person had a role planned during the today’s graduation ceremony, she was informed that she would not be authorized during today’s events,” said University spokesperson Kimberly Allen. “The MIT supports freedom of expression but respects its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and on several occasions to the beginning organizers induced several times and to protest against the scene, disturbing an important ceremony of the institute.”
The speech was shared online by the Palestinian youth movement, who appointed the student like Megha Vumuri. Vumuri wore a Keffiyeh during the speech and called on to have research ties with the Israeli army and “help and encourage” the country with its “assault against the Palestinian people”.
The War of Israel in Gaza has killed more than 52,000 people Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas activists have killed some 1,200 people in Israel and have taken 251 people hostage. Israel has received an intense criticism From all over the world, including the United Nations, for its actions in Gaza, including the Enclave aid cutting.
“As scientists, engineers, academics and managers, we are committed to supporting life, supporting help efforts and calling for an arms embargo and continuing to demand now as a student student, that the links,” said Vamuri.
His speech was made by Cheers and the applause of his classmates, some of which held a Palestinian flag.
“Right now, while we are preparing to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities in Gaza,” said Vemuri. “We look at Israel trying to eliminate Palestine from the face of the earth, and it’s a shame that it was part of it.”
Vumuri said that the undergraduate organization had voted in favor of the university which cuts links with Israel and faced “threats, intimidation and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials”.
“But you have prevailed because the MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide,” said Vemuri.
Vumuri then called on his classmates to participate in the MIT tradition of transforming their class rings which wear the university mascot “Tim the beaver”.
“And when you lift it up with your fingers, notice that the beaver is no longer faced, it is now confronted with the world,” said Temuri. “It is a world that we will enter with immeasurable responsibility. We will carry with us the cachet of the name of the MIT, the same name which is directly accomplice of the continuous genocide of the Palestinian people. And therefore we carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it.”
NBC News contacted VEMURI to comment.
Friday, the president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, made her comments at the start of the promotion of 2025, encouraging them to become ambassadors for scientific thought and discovery. Kornbluth said that the university allows “a lot of space for disagreement, whether the subject is scientific, personal or political”, but encouraged new graduates to rely on “beauty and power of the scientific method”.
“I need you all become ambassadors for our way of thinking, working and prospering at MIT,” said Kornbluth.
Kornbluth did not mention any specific incidents during his remarks, including that involving VEMURI. It is not clear at this time if Vumuri was officially authorized to obtain his MIT diploma.
VEMURI is not the only graduate to have been penalized for his political opinions.
Earlier this month, New York University has retained the student Logan Rozos diploma After having delivered an unprepared start speech to approach what he called “atrocities that are currently performing in Palestine” during the War of Israel-Hamas.
Nyu condemned Rozos’ speech, describing him as an expression of “his personal and unilateral political opinions”.
