The University of New York said that the diploma of a student who spoke an unveiled start speech is being retained to address what he called the “atrocities that currently occur in Palestine” during the Israel-Famas War.
The prestigious private university quickly condemned the speech delivered by the student Logan Rozos on Wednesday.
“Nyu firmly denounces the choice of a student in the graduation of the Galtin School today, one of the more than 20 school graduation ceremonies on our campus, for misuse of their role as a student speaker to express their personal and unilateral political opinions,” said the school in a statement on Wednesday.
Razos told the members about their graduation class that he had been “crazing a lot” about his speech, but his “moral and political commitments guide me to say that the only thing that is appropriate to say at this time and such a large group is a recognition of the atrocities that currently occur in Palestine.”
The ceremony was broadcast live on the school website, but a recording of it is not yet available. The videos of the Razos speech were published online.
The camera went to show some of his classmates applauding and cheating,
“I want to say that the genocide that currently occurs is politically and militarily by the United States, is paid for our tax dollars and has been broadcast live to our phones during the last 18 months,” Razos continued. “I do not want to speak only with my own policy today, but to speak for all people of conscience, all the people who feel the moral injury of this atrocity. And I mean that this genocide and complicity condemn in this genocide.”
The camera showed again to show students applauding and standing.
The Local Anti-Defamation League said it was “horrified” by speech.
“We are grateful to the NYU administration for its strong condemnation and its search for disciplinary action,” said the ADL in a position on Thursday in X.
The University said Razos “lied about the speech he was going to pronounce and violated the commitment he made to comply with our rules.”
“The university is retaining its diploma while we perform disciplinary actions,” said the school. “Nyu deeply regrets that the audience has been submitted to these comments and that this moment was stolen by someone who abused a privilege that was conferred.”
