'Antisemitism': UW Slams Activists Who Occupied Building, Set Fires

The University of Washington slammed the "offensive and destructive behavior" of activists who ignited dumpsters and occupied a campus engineering building, and said it opposed antisemitism, as police arrested around 30 of those involved.

The activists said they were pro-Palestinian and fighting for the university to end its relationship with Boeing over the manufacturing giant's dealings with Israel amid the war with Hamas. But a statement by some of the occupiers also hailed the October 7 attack.

Why it Matters

Colleges are facing scrutiny for their handling of protests around the October 7 attacks and Israel's subsequent war with Hamas, in which some activists and groups have crossed the line into antisemitism.

The issue has become a focus of the Trump Administration, which is threatening to withhold federal funding from institutions unless they make a number of changes to how they operate, including some as part of a crackdown on campus antisemitism.

What to Know

Footage posted to social media showed protesters pushing back against police earlier in the day, and dumpsters ablaze in the street. It also showed riot police moving into the occupied Interdisciplinary Engineering Building (IEB) to remove the activists.

Newsweek has contacted the University of Washington's campus police office for comment by email.

"The UW is committed to maintaining a secure learning and research environment, and strongly condemns this illegal building occupation and the antisemitic statement that was issued by a suspended student group Monday," a spokesman for the university said in a statement sent to Newsweek.

"The University will not be intimidated by this sort of offensive and destructive behavior and will continue to oppose antisemitism in all its forms."

It did not name the suspended group it was referring to, but a manifesto from the occupying activists said they were "taking this building amidst the current and renewed wave of the student Intifada, following the uprising of student action for Palestine after the heroic victory of Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7th, which shattered the illusion of zionist-imperialist domination and brought Palestine to the forefront for all justice-loving people of the world," KOMO News reported.

The October 7 attack in Israel led by Hamas, which is designated a terror group by the U.S. and others, killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Tens of thousands have died in the Israel-Hamas conflict since, many of them civilians in Gaza.

What People Are Saying

The UW Jewish Alumni Association called the situation "an absolute disgrace", adding in a post on X: "UW leadership has risked everyone's safety rather than get a grip on its antisemitism problem."

Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER), a student group at the University of Washington, had issued a "CALL TO ACTION" on Monday that urged people to show up at the engineering building to support the occupying activists.

"The University of Washington is a direct partner in the genocide of the Palestinian people through its allegiance to its partnership with Boeing," said the post on Facebook by SUPER.

"RALLY NOW outside the IEB to take action with these students, alongside the people of Palestine and their brave resistance. Wear a mask, and cover identifiable features."

The group pointed to Boeing's funding of the IEB as a reason it was targeted. It urged students "don't talk to cops".