Boycott grows at Stanford over Google CEO’s graduation address

College students are still very deeply invested in the Palestinian cause, as evidenced by the Stanford commencement ceremony.

What was meant to be a celebration of the academic achievement of those preparing to graduate became yet another moment for activists to protest as over 100 walked out on keynote speaker Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The boycott reportedly took place over his ties to Israel, and some of the students carried Palestinian flags to make their position on the matter clear. Others opted to remain in the audience holding signs before eventually departing the event themselves, according to The Daily Mail.

Watch:

“The disruption came despite Pichai largely steering clear of the topics that have sparked backlash at commencement ceremonies across the country this year,” the outlet reported. “Rather than focusing on artificial intelligence, a subject that has frequently generated boos and protests at graduation events, Pichai delivered a speech centered on his own personal journey from India to Silicon Valley, and the opportunities technology created in his own life.”

“The Google chief executive spoke about his experiences immigrating to California, his educational path, and the challenges he faced during the early stages of his career,” it continued.

Watch the commencement speech:

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(Video Credit: Stanford)

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Sierra Marlee

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