High school valedictorian pulled off stage seconds after bursting into acceptance speech to start ranting about Palestine

Published: 23:59, 2 June 2026 | Updated: 00:06, 3 June 2026 Clayton High School senior Leen Hijaz was concluding her commencement address on Thursday when she pivoted to last-minute unapproved remarks. '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 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.  'They are happening right now as I speak,' she said, drawing cheers from the audience.  'My point is, we're not given a voice to stay silent,' Hijaz added. The video showed school principal Melissa Moore dashing to the stage to cut off the rambling student, pulling her by the arm away from the microphone. Clayton High School senior Leen Hijaz was yanked off the stage after she shifted her acceptance speech to speak about Palestine The video showed school principal Melissa Moore dashing to the stage to cut off the rambling student As she was ushered off the stage, Hijaz smiled and waved to the supportive crowd before taking her seat. Hijaz said in a social media post and comments to local news outlets that school officials threatened to withhold her diploma, an experience she said left the Muslim teen feeling 'oppressed.' According to a TikTok video posted by the teen, the principal warned that if she did not stop speaking, she would not graduate. The valedictorian also said the principal accused her of making the speech about herself.  'It just hurt so much because we’re allowed three prayers the whole entire speech, but the second I said something and I spread awareness, I was the one getting kicked off the stage,' the student said in the video.  'And then she tells me, ‘You’re getting your diploma withheld.' Johnston County Public Schools said Tuesday that Hijaz has since received her diploma, the New York Post reported. The valedictorian also said the principal accused her of making the speech about herself Johnston County Public Schools said Tuesday that Hijaz has since received her diploma 'During this year’s Clayton High School graduation, a student departed from her approved remarks,' school officials told CBS 17 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,' they added. Daily Mail reached out to Clayton High School for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.