Massachusetts Institute of Technology barred Indian-American valedictorian and class president Megha Vemuri after she delivered a pro-Palestine commencement speech, in which she accused the institute of being complicit in the genocide in Gaza, suppression of student voices, and voiced strong support for Palestine.
An email sent by Chancellor Melissa Nobles, without specifying any reasons, stated, “On behalf of senior leadership, we write to share that you are not permitted to attend today’s Commencement ceremony, and you are restricted from campus until 4 p.m. today. Your tickets have been deactivated.”
This comes after Vemuri’s speech, which went viral on Thursday, garnered support from those who praised her courage to speak out on the Palestine issue, while many pro-Israeli handles responded with abuse and threats about her future career, accusing her of antisemitism for condemning the Israeli genocide against Palestine.
The MIT Coalition Against Apartheid condemned the decision, stating, “The attack on Megha exposes the persistent silencing of pro-Palestine voices and the mounting pressure on MIT to end all military contracts with the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD).”
“MIT currently accepts IMOD funding for its AI-assisted killer drones program,” they said.
The group highlighted hypocrisy of the institute, pointing out that Megha Vemuri shared the stage with MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Corporation Chair Mark Gorenberg, where President Kornbluth declared, “At MIT, we value freedom of expression,” a promise the group called “empty,” as the very next day, those same administrators barred Megha from walking in her own graduation ceremony merely because of her speech.
