SEATTLE — The federal Departments of Education (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it will review “anti-Semitic violence” at the University of Washington following Monday’s occupation during a protest.
The group blocked off streets, set fire to dumpsters, and occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in protest to the war in Gaza as well as urging UW to cut ties with Boeing.
The protest was organized by the group Super U-Dub, and they say that Boeing spent $10 million on the new engineering building and allege some of its use is connected to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Over 30 people were arrested and according to the university, there was approximately $1 million in damages done.
In a statement condemning the occupation, university president Ana Mari Cauce wrote:
Dear UW community,
Late yesterday afternoon, a group identifying themselves as the suspended student organization SUPER UW posted on social media that they were occupying the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building on the Seattle campus and asked for other groups to join them. These groups temporarily occupied and vandalized the building before being arrested by law enforcement officers from UWPD, the Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Patrol. They also set fire to dumpsters in a nearby street after blocking exits in the IEB and blocking nearby streets to delay firefighters’ access.
This was no peaceful protest in support of Palestinian rights or against the war in Gaza. I condemn this dangerous, violent and illegal building occupation and related vandalism. I also condemn in the strongest terms the group’s statement celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. The University will not be intimidated by this sort of horrific and destructive behavior and will not engage in dialogue with any group using or condoning such destructive tactics. We will continue our actions to oppose antisemitism, racism and all forms of biases so that ALL our students, faculty, staff and visitors can feel safe and welcome on our campuses.
King County jail staff are working to identify the roughly 30 people who were arrested, so at the moment we do not know how many are UW students or community members. We are working with law enforcement and through our own disciplinary processes to ensure those responsible face appropriate consequences for their actions. And we will continue to stand strong against violent and illegal activities that create a hostile environment for any and all members of our community. I want to thank the members of UWPD and our law enforcement partners for their assistance in bringing this situation to a swift resolution.
In a statement, the DOE said:
“The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism appreciates the university’s strong statement condemning last night’s violence and applauds the quick action by law enforcement officers to remove violent criminals from the university campus. While these are good first steps, the university must do more to deter future violence and guarantee that Jewish students have a safe and productive learning environment. The Task Force expects the institution to follow up with enforcement actions and policy changes that are clearly necessary to prevent these uprisings moving forward.”
It’s unclear what the review will entail or if any funding is on the line.