SEATTLE — The group that organized a takeover protest of a building on the University of Washington campus earlier this week is demanding that the school’s administration drop all charges and suspensions against people who participated.
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER UW) held a rally on campus Thursday, the day after UW announced it was suspending 21 students for the destructive protest.
We think it is shameful that they would be punished in an emergency suspension without due process,” said James Lopez, who identified himself as an organizer of the rally. “I think it is sad that we are focusing on millions of dollars in damage to one building here and not the billions of dollars of damage and the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in Gaza.
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SUPER UW said in a statement about the protest that it was in response to a “renewed wave of the student Intifada.”
“The University of Washington is a direct partner in the genocide of the Palestinian people through its allegiance to its partnership with Boeing,” a statement from UW said.
Monday’s protest targeted the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, which was built with a $10 million donation from Boeing. Super UW said the occupation of the building would not end until their demands were met to repurpose the building and divest from Boeing.
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Police shut down the protest within hours and arrested approximately 30 protesters.
University President Ana Marie Cauce quickly condemned the protest, which is estimated to have caused at least $1 million in damage.
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,” Cauce said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement and through our 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 members of our community.
University officials told KOMO News that SUPER UW is under suspension and does not have the benefits of a registered student organization, which includes reserving rooms on campus, but the group is not barred from using public areas of the campus.
“The UW is an open, public campus that must uphold the freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the U.S. Constitution,” UW spokesperson Victor Balta said in an email.
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During Thursday’s rally on campus, Chabad UW set up a tent in Red Square.
“We hope that by being here Jewish students feel safe, confident, and comfortable to be Jewish,” Rabbi Mendel Weingarten said.
