Usa: daughter Navalny speaker at graduation ceremony, student revolt
It is addressed in Washington among the students of the prestigious Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), after the school of international studies of Georgetown University invited the daughter of Alexiei Navalny, the main opponent, to give the speech today for the graduation ceremony of Vladimir Putin detained in Russia after trials deemed politically motivated. The protest started by some Ukrainian and Georgian students and, after the school’s initial refusal to cancel the invitation, it spread to hundreds of students, faculty members and former students. What Navalny cannot be forgiven for are some of his past statements, such as when he called immigrants “cockroaches”, used homophobic insults or said that Crimea belonged to Russia, only to then backtrack, reports Politico. The opponent’s wife and daughter, Dasha, continue to fight his battles for freedom and against corruption. The school thought the choice was also an excellent opportunity to draw attention to political prisoners, including American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was imprisoned in Russia. The protest of the students led the institute to join Dasha with two other guests (Debra Tice, mother of journalist Austin Tice who disappeared in Syria over ten years ago, and Evan Mawarire, an anti-corruption pastor from Zimbabwe) and to buy 200 Ukrainian flags from use at the ceremony. But the school never thought of canceling Dasha’s attendance. “We don’t disinvite speakers on the Georgetown campus or dissuade them from speaking,” said SFS dean Joel Hellman. “We let speakers know when concerns are raised among students, so they can take them into account,” he added. However, the more intransigent students argue that the new speakers do not compensate for Dasha’s presence on the podium and many graduating students intend to stand, some with their backs to the stage, in a peaceful act of protest, holding Ukrainian flags in their hands. provided by the school. An embarrassing and worrying affair, if one considers that this school is full of students who will probably become influential in international affairs in the next few years.