In wake of suspensions, protesters return to UW campus

The University of Washington campus group that was behind the occupation of a building on Monday returned to campus Thursday afternoon to protest the suspension of 21 students.

About 100 people gathered outside of Gerberding Hall, site of the office of the president, to demand that UW reverse the students’ suspensions and ask the King County prosecutor’s office to drop criminal charges.

“These suspensions and charges must be understood as a collaboration between the federal government, between Trump’s regime, and this university,” said Noah Weight, a member of Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return UW, or SUPER UW.

Protesters said Thursday that some of the 21 students who were in university housing have been evicted, and others with jobs on campus have been prohibited from going to work.

At least 31 people were arrested Monday evening after occupying the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to protest the school’s ties to Boeing. About 75 people dressed in black, faces covered, blockaded the building and caused damage, according to court documents. The university said the group started fires in two dumpsters on a street outside.

The protesters were arrested for investigation of first-degree criminal trespass, a gross misdemeanor. On Wednesday, the UW announced it suspended 21 students who were involved in the protest. Those students, and the other people who were arrested, are banned from campus.

This week, the Trump administration announced a “review of Anti-Semitic Activity at the University of Washington” to be conducted by the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration.

The federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism applauded the university’s “strong statement condemning last night’s violence” and “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,” a news release said. “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.”

In a statement, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said “no institution that tolerates violence, harassment, or the open intimidation of Jewish students should expect to receive billions in taxpayer support.” The department did not answer a question about whether the administration intended to cut federal funding for UW.

The government’s statement came as other U.S. institutions of higher learning face pressure from the White House. Columbia and Harvard universities have had funds suspended, and the Department of Education is investigating 60 colleges and universities nationwide for “antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”

At the rally, Weight contended the only people put in danger Monday night were the students inside the building, some of whom were Jewish.

“They were put in danger because of the cops that the administration called … to brutalize and beat their students,” he said.

Thursday afternoon, a couple of bike police officers monitored the protest from afar, but the event ended with no arrests.

In a statement, UW spokesperson Victor Balta said Monday’s actions “involved immediate threats to safety for those inside and around the building. … The UW takes safety and security seriously, and the response demonstrated that.”