High school valedictorian yanked from stage after hijacking speech to rant against Israel and ICE

A North Carolina high school valedictorian hijacked her graduation speech to rant against Israel and ICE — and was dramatically yanked from the podium, shocking video showed.Clayton High School senior Leen Hijaz was delivering the commencement speech Thursday when she ditched her pre-approved remarks, unleashing a fiery tirade blasting immigration enforcement and backing Palestine, according to ceremony footage and district officials.

“Before I leave the stage, I have one last thing to say.Every single person here has a voice; we have the privilege to use it when millions around the world are struggling and suffering to be heard,” Hijaz raged.“Whether it’s the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan and so many other countries around the world, or families being torn apart by ICE.

These are not just an issue here; they are happening there, they’re happening right here as I speak.“My point is, we’re not given a voice to stay silent,” she shouted as high school principal Melissa Moore rushed to the stage and cut her off, pulling her by the arm from the microphone, the video showed.Hijaz then returned to her seat on the stage, smirking and waving to the crowd as she sat down.The Muslim teen proceeded to whine on TikTok last week, accusing the school of refusing to give her a diploma after the now-viral stunt, moaning that it made her feel “oppressed.”However, the teen’s diploma has since been “awarded,” Johnston County Public Schools said Tuesday.“During this year’s Clayton High School graduation, a student departed from her approved remarks,” school leaders told The Post in a statement.“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.”...