Nearly a year after engaging in pro-Palestine protests at the University of Washington, protesters are now facing charges for their actions. Thirty-three individuals have been “arrested in connection with occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in May 2025,” the university said. Reports indicate that protesters face misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges.
“We are pleased to see criminal charges filed with the court related to the occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building,” the university said in a statement. “This is an important step in ensuring accountability for those who perpetrated this occupation, in addition to the suspensions that the students arrested in the building received through the student conduct process. We value free speech and expression but also must continue to be a campus community where dangerous, unlawful actions are not tolerated.”
Last year, protesters set dumpsters on fire and occupied a building in a demonstration against Israel. The university said at the time that the protesters had “mostly covered” faces and “blocked access to two streets outside the building, blocked entrances and exits to the building and ignited fires in two dumpsters on a street outside.”
“About 30 individuals who occupied the building were arrested and charges of trespassing, property destruction and disorderly conduct, and conspiracy to commit all three, will be referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office,” the statement added. The university further noted that it is committed to “maintaining a secure learning and research environment, and strongly condemns this illegal building occupation and the antisemitic statement that was issued by a suspended student group Monday.”
Protesters also demanded that the university cut ties with Boeing.
