Rutgers pulls graduation speaker over Palestine

Rutgers University in New Jersey has abruptly withdrawn its invitation to a prominent biotech entrepreneur and alum to speak at its engineering school convocation. Rami Elghandour, a 2001 alum of the engineering school, had been scheduled to deliver a graduation address at Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus May 15th, but his invitation was canceled over what the university said were complaints about his social media posts on Israel-Palestine. Two unions of educators at Rutgers University issued a joint statement condemning the university’s decision to cancel the speech, calling it politically motivated suppression that, “reflects a broader pattern of universities applying a Palestine exception to their stated commitments to free speech." Elghandour is also executive producer of the Gaza-set documentaries "The Voice of Hind Rajab" and "American Doctor."