His name appeared in the Epstein files: Event cancelled
The Cédric Villani conference scheduled to be held at METU was cancelled following mass protests by students.
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The speech by French mathematician Cédric Villani, which was planned as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of Middle East Technical University (METU), could not take place due to intense student protests. The university's rector, Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, had announced to students via email that they would be hosting Villani as part of the 70th-anniversary events.
Villani's name appearing 39 times in documents regarding billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who is known for accusations of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking and was found dead in prison, had drawn backlash. Furthermore, allegations that Villani had hosted Epstein in his own home had also caused discomfort among students.
A large number of students gathered in the hall on the day of the conference and protested the event by chanting slogans such as "There is no place for abuse at METU!" and "Neither capital nor the rector, METU is ours!". Due to the intense reactions, the conference was cancelled before it could begin, and Villani was forced to leave the campus.
With this development, the organized reaction of METU students towards the cancellation of the event once again demonstrated the importance of social responsibility and effective student movements on university campuses.