Rutgers Cancels Graduation Speech Over Pro-Palestinian Posts
Rutgers University abruptly rescinded its invitation to prominent alumnus Rami Elghandour to deliver a graduation speech after some students complained about his social media posts regarding Palestine. Elghandour, a tech entrepreneur and executive producer of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab, was scheduled to speak at the Rutgers School of Engineering ceremony on May 15.
Alberto Cuitiño, dean of the engineering school, informed Elghandour of the cancellation last week, citing student complaints without specifying the number or exact posts. Cuitiño described the posts as “opposed to their beliefs,” according to Elghandour. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Elghandour expressed puzzlement: “They champion me for my humanitarian views and now they’re canceling me for them.” The dean said no replacement speaker would be named to avoid similar issues.
A Rutgers spokesperson confirmed the decision, stating that some graduating students would not attend due to concerns about the speaker’s social media activity. The spokesperson emphasized that the ceremony is one of many graduation events at the university, which has over 70,000 students. “This decision keeps the focus on our engineering students and honors the celebratory spirit of the event,” she added.
Elghandour has frequently posted about Palestine, including sharing reports of Israeli soldiers using dogs to sexually abuse prisoners, which some critics have labeled “antisemitic blood libel.” The cancellation is part of a broader trend of universities restricting pro-Palestinian speech at graduation ceremonies. New York University banned live speeches at some ceremonies, the City University of New York’s Law School banned student speeches entirely, and the College of Staten Island pre-records student speeches.
In recent years, dozens of students have protested or walked out of ceremonies over Palestinian rights, leading universities to denounce statements and occasionally withhold diplomas. Last month, Cecilia Culver, a George Washington University alumna barred from campus after criticizing Israel in her speech, sued the university. At the University of Michigan, a history professor’s tribute to pro-Palestinian activists sparked backlash, with over 1,400 faculty members defending his academic freedom.
Elghandour, an Egyptian-American CEO of biotech company Arcellx, said he had planned to speak about “kindness being a superpower” and success without compromising beliefs, not Palestine. He noted that a law firm reviewed his social media and found no hate speech or violations of his company’s code of conduct. He called the cancellation a “dangerous” message: “Don’t you dare speak up and say anything that you believe.”
The University of Michigan incident involved Derek Peterson, a history professor and outgoing faculty senate chair, who praised pro-Palestinian activists in his speech. University President Santa Ono condemned the remarks, but Peterson defended them as part of a tradition of civic protest. “We’re meant to be training students to be in public service in a world with injustice and oppression,” Peterson said.
This article was amended on May 6, 2026, to clarify that the canceled speech was for a Rutgers School of Engineering ceremony, not the university’s broader commencement.
