MIT 2025 Class President Banned from Graduation over Gaza Speech

Megha Vemuri, the 2025 class president of MIT, was barred from attending her graduation ceremony after delivering a speech denouncing Israel's war in Gaza and criticizing the university's alleged complicity in the conflict. During the OneMIT commencement ceremony, Vemuri wore a keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, and accused MIT of supporting an ongoing genocide against Palestinians. MIT officials stated that Vemuri's speech was not the one approved in advance and accused her of deliberately misleading organizers and leading a protest from the stage, justifying their decision to ban her from the ceremony while affirming support for free expression. Despite the ban from the ceremony, Vemuri will receive her degree by mail. Vemuri expressed no disappointment in missing the ceremony, citing her unwillingness to celebrate with an institution she views as complicit in the violence, and condemned the university for punishing her without due process. The incident has drawn attention to the broader tensions surrounding protests related to the Gaza conflict on U.S. campuses.