Harvard commencement graduate student speaker praises classmate who attacked Israeli student
Harvard Divinity School graduate Zehra Imam used her commencement address to commend her classmate Elom Tettey-Tamaklo, who faced criminal charges for physically and verbally assaulting an Israeli student.
A Harvard spokesperson reportedly said Imam diverged from her originally planned remarks, but in a televised interview, Imam called the speech a 'group effort' and conveyed that her remarks were premeditated.
In her commencement address, a Harvard University Divinity School graduate commended her classmate Elom Tettey-Tamaklo, who faced criminal charges for physically and verbally assaulting an Israeli student.
Speaker Zehra Imam praised “the enormous hearts, unwavering courage, and profound wisdom of students like… Elom Tettey-Tamaklo,” prompting the crowd of graduates to burst into cheers.
“Class of 2025, Palestine is waiting for us to arrive, and you must be courageous enough to rise to the call,” Imam said, wearing a keffiyeh and holding a Palestinian flag.
Tettey-Tamaklo, 28, was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery after assaulting an Israeli student, Yoav Segev, during an anti-Israel protest on Harvard Business School’s campus in October 2023.
[RELATED: Trump admin axes an additional $60M to Harvard over anti-Semitism concerns]
During an anti-Israel “die-in” protest, Tettey-Tamaklo and other protesters “surrounded [Segev], grabbing and shoving him to the ground while covering their faces with keffiyehs,” Canary Mission reported.
Footage shows aggressors repeatedly yelling “Shame!” in the student’s face while blocking him.
Boston Municipal Court Judge Stephen W. McClenon ultimately dismissed the charges and ordered Tettey-Tamaklo to attend an eight-hour class on conflict resolution, perform 80 hours of community service, and complete an anger management program, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Tettey-Tamaklo was an organizer of Grad Students 4 Palestine and was voted by his Divinity School peers to serve as a “class marshal” to help lead the commencement ceremony, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
Student speaker Imam was selected by a committee of Harvard Divinity School students, faculty, and staff.
A Harvard spokesperson reportedly told The Washington Free Beacon that Imam diverged from her originally planned remarks and staff had no prior knowledge of the revised speech.
However, Imam described the process of writing her speech in a televised interview, calling it a “group effort” between herself and two other students, conveying that her remarks were thought out and planned beforehand.
“We each wrote our respective parts. We each gave input to one another. We had other students look over the speech,” Imam told Democracy Now!
Imam’s track record of anti-Israel activism was well known prior to the committee selecting her to speak. She published a pro-Palestine opinion piece in March and appeared in a televised interview in May 2024 where she called for divestment from Israel.
[RELATED: Harvard accused of lack of cooperation in prosecution of Israeli student’s attackers]
In recent weeks, student commencement speakers at many elite universities have used their speeches to promote pro-Hamas rhetoric.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) class president Megha Vemuri used her commencement address to encourage anti-Israel activism and condemn MIT for having ties to Israel.
New York University’s (NYU) student speaker Logan Rozos used his speech to condemn “the atrocities currently happening in Palestine.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Harvard Divinity School for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
