UM6P cancels a graduation ceremony after students plan pro-Palestine displays

The Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) has reportedly canceled a graduation ceremony that had been scheduled for Friday, July 12, according to a press release by the Students and Alumni Movement of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University against Academic Normalization.

The students indicate that the event was canceled «abruptly» after months of planning. The movement blames the cancellation on their planned «displays of support for the Palestinian cause» during the ceremony, which included «wearing Keffiyehs or other symbols, as well as conveying messages through graduation speeches».

The movement suspects a link between these planned actions and the ceremony's cancellation, the press release reads.

The movement also reports that UM6P administration previously canceled a two-day alumni event scheduled for June 28th, just 48 hours beforehand.

For context, 1,256 UM6P students and alumni signed a petition urging the university to sever partnerships with Israeli institutions in June.

The signatories also called on professors and students from other Moroccan universities to join their movement against «academic normalization».

Despite being invited to a dialogue with a university representative, the administration refused to terminate these partnerships, the movement added.

According to the signatories, UM6P has established the «largest number of partnerships and hosted visits from high-level delegations» from Israeli institutions. The university even created a special position, «Chargé d'affaires to the president in charge of Israeli partnerships», the students say.

These partnerships include eight Israeli universities and higher education institutions, Israeli companies, and research centers, such as Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University, Academic College of Western Galilee, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Institute of Technology (Technion), Reichman University (Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center), and Sapir College.