A North Carolina high schooler’s Valedictorian speech was disrupted after she offered unscripted comments about conditions in ICE and Palestine. Muslim student Leen Hijaz was delivering her commencement speech at Clayton High School just outside of Raleigh when she added in the unapproved statements. “Before I leave the stage, I have one last thing to say. Every single person here has a voice, and we are privileged to have the freedom to use it when so many people around the world are struggling and suffering to be heard,” Hijaz said.

“Whether it’s the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan and so many other countries around the world, or the families being torn apart by ICE, these are not distant issues,” she added. “They are happening right now as I speak. My point is, we’re not given a voice to stay silent.” The additional remarks were met by applause when high school principal, Melissa Moore, rushed on stage, pulling Hijaz away from the microphone. She later returned to her seat as the commencement finished.

Hijaz, later took to TikTok to discuss the stunt, claiming the school had refused to award her a diploma and claiming she was being censored. “Throughout my entire life, my education has been something so important. I worked hard for 12 years. For that to be taken from me, I feel oppressed,” she said. She claimed the moment was unplanned. “I was extremely scared to say something and really wasn’t planning on doing it, but I had so much support from my friends and family around me, and they encouraged me to say something. I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to say, but I said enough,” she said. When asked by a local station whether the graduation ceremony was the proper place for such a statement, Hijaz justified the timing. “Where is the place and time? What is the right place and time? My words made an extremely big change in my community,” she said. “Nobody was talking about anything that was going on in the world, but now people are engaging, people are learning more people want to talk about it.”

In a statement, the school stated Hijaz has received her diploma. “School administrators intervened in order to maintain the integrity and focus of the program in real time. This action was not about limiting a student’s voice, but about ensuring that a school-sponsored event remained consistent with its intended purpose,” the district said. “JCPS respects students’ rights to express their views and encourages thoughtful dialogue in appropriate settings. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure that official school events remain inclusive, respectful, and focused on celebrating all graduates.”