NYU withholds diploma of graduate who condemned Gaza war

New York University (NYU) has withheld the diploma of a pupil who utilized his graduation code to impeach the US of supporting "genocide" successful Gaza.

Undergraduate Logan Rozos told the assemblage connected Wednesday that helium condemned the "atrocities presently happening successful Palestine", drafting cheers and immoderate boos.

An NYU spokesperson accused Mr Rozos of lying astir what helium had planned to accidental successful the code successful bid to "express his idiosyncratic and one-sided governmental views".

Pro-Palestinian advocacy connected assemblage campuses has go heavy politicised successful the US, arsenic the Trump medication cracks down connected what it has called antisemitism astatine elite institutions, stirring a fraught statement astir escaped speech.

NYU said it "strongly denounces" and was "deeply sorry" for Mr Rozos' remarks, adding: "This infinitesimal was stolen by idiosyncratic who abused a privilege that was conferred upon him."

The assemblage spokesman, John Beckman, said Mr Rozos' diploma would beryllium withheld portion NYU pursued disciplinary enactment against him.

After being introduced connected stage, the undergraduate said helium had been "freaking retired astir this speech", but that helium felt compelled to talk out.

"The genocide presently occurring is supported politically and subject by the United States, is paid for by our taxation dollars and has been unrecorded streamed to our phones," helium said.

"I condemn this genocide and complicity successful this genocide," Mr Rozos added successful remarks that lasted astir two-and-a-half minutes.

He did not specifically notation Israel, which emphatically denies accusations of genocide successful Gaza, oregon Jewish people.

A since-deleted illustration of Mr Rozos connected NYU's website indicated helium studied taste disapproval and governmental system astatine a tiny wide arts schoolhouse wrong the campus.

In different online profile, Mr Rozos is described arsenic an "actor, artist, and cheery Black trans man".

NYU is 1 of 10 universities being investigated by Trump's antisemitism taskforce for incidents connected field since the Israel-Gaza warfare began successful October 2023.

NYU was not, however, among 60 universities sent letters by the Department of Education informing of "enforcement action" if it did not support Jewish students.

The US president's son, Barron, is simply a pupil astatine NYU, and is enrolled astatine the Stern School of Business.

Arguably the assemblage nether the astir unit from the medication is America's oldest, Harvard.

Trump has chopped much than $2.6bn (£2bn) successful funding, a determination that the assemblage argues volition hamper captious illness research.

Harvard has filed a suit claiming the enactment is unlawful. It has besides rejected a database of demands that the Trump medication said was designed to curb alleged favoritism astatine the campus.

Separately, respective overseas students who took portion successful pro-Palestinian activism connected US campuses person been detained successful caller months.

The Trump medication alleges they person expressed enactment for Hamas, which the US, EU and UK designates arsenic a violent group, and called for their deportation.

Lawyers for the students accidental they are exercising their close to escaped speech, accusing the authorities of "open repression of pupil activism and governmental speech".