Police Crack Down on Pro-Palestinian Rally at the University of Washington
Pro-Palestine rally at the University of Washington, May 5, 2025. X/ @iamsakibali1
May 6, 2025 Hour: 10:43 am
Over 30 citizens were arrested for occupying a building in protest against the genocide in Gaza.
On Monday night, police forcefully cracked down on a pro-Palestine rally taking place at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. At least 30 people were arrested for occupying part of the university campus.
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“UW police are currently at the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, which was occupied by several dozen individuals just before the building closed,” university officials stated.
The occupation of the building was led by the “Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return,” (SUPER UW), which is demanding that the University of Washington sever its ties with Boeing, a company that does business with Israel.
Images shared on social media showed protesters clashing with police and trash bins set on fire in the street. Riot police officers were also seen entering the occupied building to evict the activists.
The protest aims to remove the influence of Boeing and other “manufacturing companies from our educational space,” a student spokesperson told KOMO, an ABC News affiliate in the state of Washington.
A year ago, activists also occupied UW facilities for three weeks and set up a pro-Palestinian encampment, demanding the university cut ties with the aerospace company, which is one of the largest U.S. defense contractors.
At that time, the ‘Liberated Zone’ established by students was dismantled shortly after protesters reached an agreement with the university and following concerns about the appearance of antisemitic graffiti.
Monday’s protest comes at a time when U.S. universities are under scrutiny from President Donald Trump. The Republican politician decided to withdraw all federal funding from universities like Harvard, arguing that these institutions are being used to promote pro-Palestinian protests and spread antisemitic slogans.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE