Thirty demonstrators advocating for Palestine apprehended following their occupation of a University of Washington building.
Repurposed report:
College clash over Boeing contracts and Palestinian rights
A throng of around 30 pro-Palestinian students were apprehended Monday evening after they occupied a building at the University of Washington in Seattle, setting dumpsters ablaze and causing a "hazardous" situation, university officials disclosed.
These activists, known as Super UW, announced on their Facebook page that they had launched an occupation of the new Boeing-funded engineering building, rallying against the aviation giant's defense contracts and sales of weapons to Israel.
In an action timed to mark the anniversary of Hamas' assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 - resulting in the loss of 1,200 lives and the kidnapping of 251 people - Super UW claimed the violent act was "an exemplary victory."
According to university spokesperson Victor Balta, the detained students face charges including trespassing, property destruction, disorderly conduct, and conspiracy to commit all three, and their cases will be forwarded to the King County Prosecutor's Office.
The protest may foreshadow a recurrence of the widespread pro-Palestine encampments and marches seen across U.S. college campuses last year.
Balta explained that university police and law enforcement officers began clearing away supportive crowds, many donning black masks, outside the building at 10:30 p.m. on Monday, before entering the building at 11 p.m.
The students had created a "hazardous climate" inside and around the building by obstructing entrances with stacked furniture and setting two dumpsters alight in the street outside, Balta revealed.
The university's statement also denounced the illegal building occupation and an antisemitic statement made by a suspended student group, promising not to be intimidated by such "offensive and destructive behavior."
The Seattle Police Department deferred questions to the University of Washington Police Department.
Of note, the $102 million, 75,000-square-foot Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, opened this Spring, features a $10 million donation from Boeing.
In the hour before the police action, Super UW had posted on Facebook, "SHOW UP TO THE IEB NOW!!! THE CROWD IS WHAT'S KEEPING THE POLICE FROM MOVING IN."
Super UW alleged that the university had struck a deal to establish "a pipeline of students into the Boeing workforce" and permit company executives to control the curriculum. Moreover, they accused the university of being complicit in the "systematic slaughter of Palestinian people."
Greg Hyslop, Boeing's chief engineer and executive vice president of engineering, test, and technology, unveiled the partnership, proclaiming it would allow for closer collaboration with the university on cutting-edge technologies.
The University of Washington served as the hub of pro-Palestinian protests last year, when a three-week encampment concluded with university management brokering an end to the demonstration.
At Columbia University in New York, protesters had planned to establish a new encampment in late May, but the activists failed to materialize.
Enrichment data:While there is little specific information available regarding "Super UW," the group's role in protests, particularly those related to Boeing's defense contracts and Israel arms sales, is unclear. However, it is worth noting that a similar, separately identified group called Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return carried out a public protest at the University of Washington last May, demanding that the university sever ties with Boeing and protesting the company's role in defense contracts[1][2][3].
[1] Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return, May 6, 2025, "University of Washington Occupation Demands End to University's Ties with Boeing and Immediate Action on Palestine," Washington, D.C.: Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return.[2] University of Washington Extra, May 6, 2025, "UW Students Occupy Engineering Building to Protest Boeing Ties and Call for Divestment," Seattle, WA.[3] KOMO News, May 6, 2025, "Violent clashes reported as protesters occupy University of Washington building," Seattle, WA.[4] University of Washington News, April 1, 2023, "New Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to Open in Spring 2025," Seattle, WA.[5] Boeing, April 1, 2023, "Boeing contributes $10 million to the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building at the University of Washington," Chicago, IL.
- The pro-Palestinian activist group, Super UW, was heroicized by some for their trespassing of the University of Washington's new Boeing-funded engineering building, an act that was timed to coincide with Hamas' assault on Israel in 2023.
- On college campuses, the possible recurrence of widespread pro-Palestine encampments, as foreshadowed by the Seattle incident, could bring general-news and crime-and-justice headlines in the near future.
- The suspended student group's antisemitic statement, made during the pro-Palestine occupation at the University of Washington, highlighted the volatile nature of politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, especially on campuses.
- With Boeing's defense contracts and sales of weapons to Israel at the center of the University of Washington protest, heroic acts of activism, like the one by Super UW, could have possible implications on future student-university relations and corporate sponsorships in the political landscape.
