Man criticised for ‘hijacking’ girlfriend’s graduation with marriage proposal

‘Just because something is sweet or well-intended doesn’t mean that it is appropriate’

Feminists have accused a man who proposed to his girlfriend during her graduation ceremony of “hijacking” her big day.

Last weekend, Agne Banuskeviciute, a 25-year-old English language and applied linguistics masters student from the University of Essex, went up to accept her degree during her graduation ceremony.

In that moment, Edgaras ​Averbuchas – Banuskeviciute's boyfriend of nine years – interrupted her big moment by dropping down on one knee to propose.

While Banuskeviciute appeared to be shocked at the gesture, she soon broke into a smile as the audience cheered and applauded the couple.

The proposal was filmed and posted online by the university but has since been removed from its social media platforms after it sparked criticism from feminists who accused Averbuchas of “egotism" for the gesture.

One user wrote on Twitter: “Imagine being a man and feeling so threatened by a woman's intellectual success that you *have* to force her to frame her identity/agency in relation to *you* on the very day she is being celebrated for her intellect [sic].

“Oh wait, that's, like, 99.9 per cent [of] men.”

Aisha Ali-Khan, an organiser of the Women's March in London, said the proposal “smacked of egotism”.

Edgaras Averbuchas proposes to girlfriend Agnes Banuskeviciute during graduation ceremony (Facebook ) (Facebook)

"This does not bode well for the relationship,” Ali-Khan wrote in her blog Women United. "When someone craves such public attention and adulation all the time, there can only be space for one person and their ego in that relationship."

Meanwhile, writer Rebecca Reid wrote about the gesture in an article for Grazia magazine, stating that she believed the couple to be in love and that Banuskeviciute appeared to be “delighted” with the proposal.

However, Reid added: “Hijacking a big moment with something sweet or well intentioned doesn't make it okay. Just because something is sweet or well intended doesn't mean that it is appropriate."

“And what if they get divorced or the proposal is called off, her graduation will forever be marked by his actions, and it will turn that memory bitter,” added another user.

Averbuchas, who shared a video of the proposal on his Facebook account, described the proposal as “the greatest moment of my life” and said of his new fiancée: “She is my everything.”

Edgaras Averbuchas proposes to girlfriend Agnes Banuskeviciute during graduation ceremony (Facebook ) (Facebook)

In response to the criticism, Banuskeviciute said that she found it “strange that Edgaras was getting a lot of criticism from people”.

The graduate added: “I remember myself standing on the stage. I was a little bit nervous but extremely happy."

The couple, who are both Lithuanian, met as teenagers at secondary school in their home town of Vilnius.