On 14th June (Sunday) Stanford University’s 2026 graduation ceremony was interrupted after a group of students started a protest when Google Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai was giving his keynote speech as the commencemnt speaker. He entered the stage as approximately 200 students left their seats, blew whistles, chanted slogans as well as waved banners and Palestinian flags.
Many were also spotted donning traditional scarves called keffiyehs which are tied to Hamas. Pichai, an alumnus of the institution, was introduced and the students wearing their graduation hats and gowns began to depart while several could be heard booing as his address proceeded.
Stanford grads walk out as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage as commencement speaker. No mention of AI, unlike other uni speakers getting booed down this year. Story for @sfgate shortly pic.twitter.com/qvS2rJ91Ip
— Matt Brown (@maattttbrown) June 14, 2026
The demonstrators denounced the tech giant’s connections to the Israeli government, especially Project Nimbus. It is a $1.2 trillion cloud computing agreement between Google, Amazon and Israel which took place in 2021. The walkout was publicised weeks ago by Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, accusing that the project promotes the Jewish state’s operations amid the war in Gaza.
It was alleged that under Pichai’s leadership “Google profited from and enabled ICE’s (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) kidnappings of our neighbours and the genocide in Gaza by providing cloud computing services and AI software to ICE and IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”
It’s not about AI. They walked out because they don’t think Israel should be allowed to defend itself. pic.twitter.com/ltsMvF0Uvn
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) June 14, 2026
The students contended that “they refuse to glorify the corporations which fuel this violence.” They referred to Google as “evil” and announced that they “will not allow their technology to be used for war and profits.” However, Pichai didn’t bring up the subject and even stayed away from discussing artificial intelligence.
The students had organised their own “People’s Commencement” for the second consecutive year. The main speaker for the latest event was Islamist Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. On the other hand, the Google chief who urged the attendees to “choose optimism” was well-received as the stories he shared were greeted with applause and laughter following the brief disruption.
Mahmoud Khalil: The anti-Israel extremist
Mahmoud Khalil, born in Syria, is an infamous Algerian Palestinian propagandist who grabbed attention when “Intifada” shouting individuals occupied New York’s prominent Columbia University in 2024 to rally against Israel. He emerged as a spokesperson and negotiator during this “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and larger agitation, reported BBC.
The move intended to press the institution to formally insist on an end to Israel’s campaign in Gaza and to divest from Israel, particularly from businesses whose goods, services or infrastructure had been utilised in the military action there. At the time, Khalil was a graduate student at the Ivy League school. ICE apprehended him on 8th March of last year.
The Trump administration attempted to deport the 30-year-old, and he spent three months in an immigration detention in Louisiana. However, a judge eventually ordered his release on 20th June. President Donald Trump had pledged to crack down on students embroiled in similar conduct.
He charged that Khalil and other pro-Palestinian voices endorsed Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist group by Washington. Trump termed him as “a radical foreign pro-Hamas student” who was involved in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity” which would not be tolerated. The action was hailed as “the first of many to come” as the former argued that such persons need to be repatriated.
“Many are not students, they are paid agitators. We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathisers from our country — never to return again. If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply,” he added.
Khalil worked for the Syrian American non-profit Jusoor after graduating from Lebanese American University with a degree in computer science. His profile on the Society for International Development website disclosed that he oversaw the Syria Chevening Programme for the British Embassy in Beirut, which provided scholarships for study in the United Kingdom. He later left the position.
After relocating to the US in 2022, Khalil enrolled in Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs to obtain a master’s degree. He married an American citizen and had a child with her.
Circulating Hamas literature, failure to provide important information and more: Serious charges against Khalil
Khalil was a mediator between protestors and university management amid the face-off in Columbia University. He has been accused of leading Columbia University Apartheid Divest (Cuad), which wanted a truce in Gaza and the institution to sever its financial links to Israel, among other demands. However, Khalil refuted the allegations and asserted to be acting just as a spokesperson and mediator during the conflict.
The Department of Homeland Security pointed out that Khalil was “leading activities aligned to Hamas” upon his arrest which was part of an effort to carry out Trump’s executive order that forbade antisemitism. He was accused by the White House of planning gatherings where pro-Hamas literature was handed out as his lawyers denied these statements.
Jewish students at the varsity expressed that the protests turned antisemitic and they experienced unease and unsafety on campus. Columbia Jewish Alumni Association likewise stated that Khalil “spent over a year abusing the privileges this country and Columbia gave him.” The university lost $400 million in funding due to “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,” per the Trump administration.
Khalil was temporarily suspended from the university during the unrest as police stormed the campus after a building was taken over by the marchers. He insisted, however, that he was merely a negotiator with Columbia officials and he had refrained from joining the encampment out of concern that it might have an impact on his student visa. Interestingly, there is also ambiguity regarding the time he obtained his green card, which provides him with permanent residency.
Immigration agents nabbed Khalil on two charges. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, declared that his presence in the country could trigger “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” by citing a rare section of the Immigration and Nationality Act. However, US District Judge Michael Farbiarz pronounced that the attempt to detain and deport the Muslim man was unconstitutional.
The Trump administration then mentioned that the action was taken due to his failure to supply details about his 2024 application for authorised permanent residency. Although Khalil was granted bail, White House emphasised that the judge lacked the authority and underscored that they would file an appeal against the decision.
Furthermore, a lawsuit regarding the 7th of October 2023 terror attack unveiled that multiple anti-Israel groups in the US had prior knowledge of the massacre perpetrated by Hamas. It was submitted by 6 relatives of victims held captive by the jihadi outfit against numerous student organisations and Khalil for “aiding and abetting the continuing acts of international terrorism” perpetuated by Hamas.
