Columbia University students and graduates staged a protest over the weekend in response to the school’s recent decision to comply with the Trump administration’s demands to combat antisemitism on campus and the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian organizer.
The demonstration included several graduate students from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) shredding their diplomas in protest. “SIPA and Columbia are working against the incredible efforts their students are making to envision a world where Palestinians can enjoy their full human, civil, and national rights,” one of the protesters declared before tearing her diploma in half. “SIPA is not proud, we are enraged. We will continue to rage at this institution until Mahmoud Khalil is free.”
Another demonstrator publicly renounced her degree before destroying her diploma. Several other protesters followed suit, while chants of “Free, free Palestine” echoed through the gathering.
Fox News reports that the rally took place on Saturday during Columbia’s Alumni Day celebration. Amid the growing unrest, Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned from her post on Friday.
“As the University has made clear, any disruptions to our academic mission, our classrooms, or our educational spaces is unacceptable, and the University will enforce its policies and rules as necessary,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The University is aware of Saturday’s off-campus protest and the demonstration took place without incident.”
The Trump administration recently withdrew $400 million in federal funding from Columbia, citing the school’s failure to curb pro-Palestinian demonstrations that had allegedly turned violent. Additionally, the administration imposed a ban on student protesters wearing masks or other face coverings.
Khalil was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in early March as part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to revoke the green cards of individuals with suspected ties to Hamas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
Khalil, according to his LinkedIn profile, previously studied at Lebanese American University in Beirut before enrolling in Columbia’s master’s program in public administration in January 2023. He is currently fighting deportation in court.
If I was a parent of one of those protesters I would cancel any further payments toward their education. So far it hasn’t worked it seems.