It seems likely that MIT acted to preserve the neutrality and structure of its official commencement ceremony. The student reportedly submitted a different speech in advance, then used the platform for protest. Institutions generally react this way when someone uses a scripted moment to make an unscripted political statement—regardless of the topic. This one just happens to be especially charged.
It could also be the prevalence of anti-BDS laws in the United States which puts legal pressure on anyone exercising speech to boycott the State of Israel.
It seems to me the motivating factor is Russian leaders and Russian people consider Ukraine to be part of Russia. They have no historical evidence for this except the late Soviet Union, so they make it up.
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