Megha Vemuri, MIT 2025 class president, was banned from attending Friday’s undergraduate commencement ceremony after she slammed Israel’s alleged “genocide” in Gaza during a Thursday speech.

“We have been given the privilege of access to a place like this, to a community like this, and it is now time to make use of it,” Vemuri said during her address at the 2025 OneMIT Commencement Ceremony. “You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine.”

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“Last spring, MIT’s undergraduate body and graduate student union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military,” she added. “You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus.”

Vemuri said fear must be turned into fuel, saying MIT students have “prevailed” over forces of intimidation by university officials.

“The MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide,” she said. “Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza. We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the Earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.”

She said MIT’s research ties with the Israeli military signify that her school is aiding and abetting an alleged assault on the Palestinian people.

Vemuri did not criticize Hamas, which has been accused of using Palestinians as “human shields” by engaging in military operations in hospitals, schools, and residential areas and by not allowing Gazans to leave despite Israel providing advanced attack warnings. Hamas has also been accused of stealing aid meant for Palestinians in war-torn Gaza and selling it on the black market to fund the terrorist group.

Despite these challenges, Israel has maintained a civilian-to-combatant ratio of less than 2-to-1, far better than the typical United Nations estimate of civilians making up 87% of war-related casualties. Hamas has been found to have “falsified” civilian death figures.

“As scientists, engineers, academics, and leaders, we have a commitment to support life, support aid efforts, and call for an arms embargo and keep demanding now, as alumni, that MIT cut ties,” Vemuri said.

While some students in the crowd cheered, following her speech, Vemuri received an email from MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles banning her from Friday’s commencement, according to a report.

“Participation in Commencement activities is a privilege,” the email said. “You deliberately and repeatedly misled Commencement organizers. 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.”

When Nobles spoke at Friday’s ceremony, she was interrupted with jeers.

“Let Megha Walk!” some students chanted.

“Excuse me,” Nobles said. “I respect that you have a message to send, but this is not the time or place. Today is about our graduates and their families. Please respect them and allow me to continue.”

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“We have people here from all over the world and all over the country, who are proud. Their families are here, as are the other graduates. You should have the decency to respect the process and let the families enjoy,” she added.

Vemuri said her speech did not amount to a “protest” and called MIT’s actions an “overreach.”