Dozens Of Pro-Palestinian Protestors Arrested After They Occupy University Of Washington Building

Topline Around 30 people were arrested by police late on Monday after a group of pro-Palestinian protestors occupied an academic building in the University of Washington’s engineering department and demanded that the university sever its ties with plane maker Boeing due to the company’s military deals with the Israeli government. FILE PHOTO: Pro-Palestinian protestor at the University of Washington occupied an academic building ... More and urged the university to snap ties with Boeing. Key Facts The protest was organized by the student group, Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER) UW, who occupied the university’s Interdisciplinary Engineering Building Monday evening, student news outlet The Daily UW reported. The spokesperson for the protesting group told ABC News affiliate KOMO News that they are “hoping to remove the influence of Boeing and other manufacturing companies from our educational space.” The group posted about the protest on their social media handles and urged participants to “Wear a mask, and cover [identifiable] features,” and accused the university of being a “direct partner in the genocide of the Palestinian people through its allegiance to its partnership with Boeing.” University officials told CNN that protestors with covered faces blocked access to the occupied building and “ignited fires in two dumpsters on a street outside.” Police entered the building later in the evening and arrested “about 30 individuals” who were inside and the university said they will be charged with “trespassing, property destruction, disorderly conduct and conspiracy.” Super UW posted about the arrests on its social media handles and shared a clip of police officers in riot gear removing the protestors from the building. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . What Do We Know About The Occupied Building? On its website, the university describes the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building as the “academic home for all undergraduate engineering students.” The website notes that the $102 building was funded by both the state and “private philanthropic investments,” including a $10 million donation from Boeing. In their social media call-to-action post, the student protestors described the building as “THE BOEING FUNDED ENGINEERING BUILDING ON UW CAMPUS!!” What Has The Univesity Said About The Protestors? The University told several news outlets that Super UW was a “suspended student group,” denouncing the building occupation as “illegal” and describing the group’s statements as “antisemitic.” The statement added: “The University will not be intimidated by this sort of offensive and destructive behavior and will continue to oppose antisemitism in all its forms.” Key Background Like several other campuses across the country, at the same time last year, the University saw major protests against the war in Gaza. At the time, the student protestors demanded that the University divest from Israel and cut all ties with Boeing. The protestors criticized Boeing for building weapons used by Israel to strike Gaza and accused the university of “funneling students towards this company.” The university pushed back on these demands, saying Boeing was a “strong supporter of student success and innovation” and grievances about the use of Boeing products abroad should be directed at the federal government. Further Reading Dozens arrested after pro-Palestinian protesters occupy University of Washington building (CNN) Pro-Palestinian protestors occupy UW campus building, demand divestment from Boeing (KOMO News) Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/05/06/police-arrest-pro-palestinian-protesters-after-they-occupy-university-of-washington-building/