St Andrews rector ‘excluded’ from graduation ceremonies

The rector of the University of St Andrews, Scotland, has said she has been excluded from attending graduations following her removal from certain roles due to her criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza, writes Alasdair Ferguson for The National.

Stella Maris expressed her “disappointment” with the university’s decision on Tuesday 3 December claiming she was told she would not be allowed to attend the winter graduation ceremonies. She explained that she received an email from the university’s principal in November informing her that it would be “inappropriate” for her to attend the ceremonies due to her ongoing judicial review of the university court’s decision to remove her trustee status.

Maris was elected as rector in November 2023 and was suspended in August this year following a message she sent to students when she first took office describing Israel’s attacks on Gaza as “genocidal”. In the email, she condemned practices including “apartheid, siege, illegal occupation and collective punishment” but also denounced “war crimes” by Hamas.
Full report on The National site