Police arrested about 30 anti-Israel protesters at the University of Washington on Monday night. The arrests came as protesters created a “dangerous environment,” according to university officials.
The protesters reportedly belonged to a group called Super UW, which announced on Facebook that it “launched an occupation of the new Boeing-funded engieneering building,” NBC News reported.
Super UW said it took the action to mark the anniversary of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped — calling it a "heroic victory."
"About 30 individuals who occupied the building were arrested [on] charges of trespassing, property destruction and disorderly conduct, and conspiracy to commit all three, will be referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office," university spokesperson Victor Balta said in a statement.
The protest is a possible sign that this summer could see a repeat of the widespread pro-Palestine encampments, occupations and marches that took place on college campuses across the country last year.
Balta said university police and other law enforcement officers began clearing away crowds of supporters, many wearing black masks, outside the building at 10:30 p.m. on Monday before police moved inside at 11 p.m.
Reporter Kevin Deutsch posted a video on X in which he explained that, “this group of radical anti-Israel activists, about 30 of them, wore black masks and black clothing. They occupied the interdisciplinary engineering building on UW's campus. This protest was led by the anti-Israel group, Students United for Palestine Equality and Return, also known as Super UW.”
This group called for the protest in a manifesto that had been published earlier yesterday. In that manifesto, the group also lauded and celebrated the October 7th massacre that Hamas committed in Israel, slaughtering some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage into Gaza. Super UW's manifesto said, ‘We are taking this building amidst the current and renewed wave of the student intafada, following the uprising of student action for Palestine after the heroic victory of Al-Aqsa flood on October seventh, which shattered the illusion of Zionist imperialist domination and bought Palestine to the forefront for all justice-loving people of the world.’
Thirty anti-Israel protesters were arrested Monday night after illegally occupying a University of Washington building to demand Wash U divest from Boeing, authorities said. The occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building was orchestrated by the radical anti-Israel… pic.twitter.com/3so1DZf0LZ
— Kevin Deutsch (@pillcitybook) May 6, 2025
Breaking — Antifa militants have taken over the University of Washington campus to protest Israel.
— Katie Daviscourt 📸 (@KatieDaviscourt) May 6, 2025
Multiple fires have been set. Authorities have issued an order to disperse. pic.twitter.com/4t0HFPxvut
Seattle police are retreating from Antifa at the University of Washington where domestic terrorists have taken over the engineering building.
— Billboard Chris 🌎 (@BillboardChris) May 6, 2025
The Hamas fan club is mad that @UW has a partnership with @Boeing which they say is involved in a genocide. pic.twitter.com/Y6wykAbAmN
Last year, anti-Israel activists wreaked havoc on college campuses and on city streets, chanting antisemitic slogans and advocating for the terrorist group Hamas.
However, it will be interesting to see how this turns out, given that there is a new president in the White House. President Donald Trump has already taken action against universities like Harvard that allow antisemites to peddle their bigotry on campus. It is likely that he might become more aggressive if other universities allow these thugs to engage in violence while threatening Jewish students.
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