Indian American student Megha Vemuri slams MIT for Israeli ties
Megha Vemuri, an Indian-American student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was not allowed to attend her graduation commencement speech because she made a pro-Palestine statement.
New Delhi (India) May 31: Megha Vemuri, MIT senior class president, did not hold back during Thursday's graduation ceremony. She said that Israel is attempting to "wipe Palestine off the face of the earth," and that "it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.”
Megha Vemuri, an Indian-American student, spoke out against MIT's ties to the Israeli military and in support of Palestinian rights during the school's commencement. Vemuri's statement drew both support and criticism for her accusations that Israel was trying to destroy Palestine. Some people praised her courage while others criticized her for politicizing the event.
She said, "The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military that MIT has research ties with. As scientists, engineers, academics, and leaders, we have a commitment to support life. Support aid efforts, call for an arms embargo, and keep demanding that MIT cuts the ties.”
Last spring, MIT's undergraduate body and “Graduate Student Union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military. You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus.”
She also added, “Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza.”
MIT class of 2025 president Ms. Vemuri was supposed to serve as the marshal during the ceremony, but Melissa Nobles, the chancellor of the university had declared she would not be able to make it.
Ms. Noble also said that throughout the day, Ms. Vemuri and her family were not allowed to enter the college.
Ms Noble said, “While we acknowledge your right to free expression, your decision to lead a protest from the stage, disrupting an important institute ceremony, was a violation of MIT's time, place and manner rules for campus expression.”
Vemuri's comments came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's declaration that the Trump administration will refuse visas to those who enter the country with a goal to promote hatred towards the Jewish people.
Students at the convocation appreciated Vemuri's remarks, which came after she finished her undergraduate studies in computer science, neurology, and linguistics.
Aadrika Tayal
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