The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a highly contentious issue in the U.S., with many people aligning themselves with one side or the other. While protests in the streets are common, a group of Columbia University alumni in New York took their protest a step further. These graduates performed a shocking act in response to the arrest of graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained on March 8, 2025. Khalil, a 30-year-old legal permanent resident, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University.
After hearing about the incident, a few dozen alumni and students made their way to Columbia University to protest. They also posted on Instagram to invite others to join. “Mahmoud Khalil — our colleague, our classmate, our friend — was unjustly arrested with the active complicity of SIPA’s administration, which has chosen surveillance and collaboration with federal agencies and law enforcement over protecting its students,” they wrote.
That Saturday, the group of alumni and students gathered to tear their diplomas in protest. Some held signs demanding the release of Khalil. “It’s not easy to do this, and none of us are doing this lightly. There’s no joy in this,” said Amali Tower, a 2009 SIPA graduate, in an interview with NBC News. Tower, an immigrant who had experienced displacement, shared that her personal experience motivated her to stand up for fellow immigrants who are “being rounded up, harassed, oppressed, and deported.”
Other students, like Hannah, also joined the protest in New York. A Jewish student, the Columbia University graduate believed it was important to stand up for those who are oppressed and targeted, like Khalil. She also criticized both former president Minouche Shafik and her successor Katrina Armstrong for listening to the board of trustees instead of the students, failing to address their concerns.
Watching people tear their diplomas apart is undeniably shocking, prompting some to question whether such an act is truly effective. Critics pointed out that the protesters could have simply requested new copies of their diplomas after destroying them. “Do the paper versions actually mean anything in the US?,” one user asked.
However, others defended the Columbia University alumni and students, emphasizing the symbolic nature of their actions. Another Redditor commented, “For those saying they could just easily get another paper copy — the tearing of the diplomas is meant to be symbolic. They’re still sending a powerful message by doing it, even if they don’t ‘technically’ need the paper copies. :)”
