University of Washington faces Trump admin antisemitism scrutiny over anti-Israel protests

The Trump administration has announced it is investigating the anti-Israel protest at the University of Washington on Monday where students occupied an engineering building and set two dumpsters on fire before police in riot gear moved in and arrested 30 people. 

The Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, a multi-agency task force created by President Donald Trump in February, said it is reviewing the "eruption of anti-Semitic harassment and violence" on the Seattle campus, although it praised the university’s swift response and strongly worded statement condemning the actions of the protesters.

The task force said the university must do more to deter future violence and guarantee that Jewish students have a safe and productive learning environment. The task force said it expects UW to follow up with enforcement actions and policy changes that are necessary to prevent any repeat of the chaotic scenes. 

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS OCCUPY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BUILDING, 30 ARRESTED

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement that the "destructive behavior" by protesters is "unacceptable."

"The violence and chaos that ensued on the University of Washington’s campus is yet another horrifying display of the antisemitic harassment and lawlessness which has characterized many of our nation’s elite campuses over the last several years," McMahon said. "The Task Force will not allow these so-called ‘protesters’ to disrupt campus life and deprive students, especially Jewish students who live in fear on campus, of their equal opportunity protections and civil rights."

The protesters occupied an engineering building on campus for hours and demanded that the school divest from Boeing, the large aerospace and defense manufacturer which has a long history with the university. Video from the scene shows several dumpsters on fire as police moved in to regain control of the building after the demonstrators had locked themselves inside.

The protesters, who mostly covered their faces, blocked access to two streets outside the building, blocked entrances and exits to the building, the university said. 

The Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return, a student group at UW, said it helped organize the protest and said that Boeing funded the building to the tune of $10 million. The money was given in 2022.  

The group accused UW of being a "direct partner in the genocide of the Palestinian people through its allegiance to its partnership with Boeing." The group said Boeing manufactures the F-15 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, Hellfire missiles, and bombs which Israel uses to "murder entire Palestinian families and destroy Palestinian homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques."

UW President Ana Mari Cauce has come out strongly against the protesters, saying it was an "illegal building occupation" and not peaceful.

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She also denounced 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," Cauce said in a statement. "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."

The task force is now investigating more than 60 universities for reportedly failing to address antisemitism on campus. As a result of these investigations, seven institutions — Harvard, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania — have already had their funding reduced.

"No institution that tolerates violence, harassment, or the open intimidation of Jewish students should expect to receive billions in taxpayer support," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement. "This isn’t about politics—it’s about whether a federally funded university is upholding the law, protecting civil rights, and fostering a safe environment for all students."

After occupying the building on Monday, the protesters erected a banner reading "Sha'ban Al-Dalou Building," symbolically renaming it after a 19-year-old Palestinian man from Gaza who was killed during the bombing of the Al-Aqsa Hospital on Oct. 14, 2024. Israel said it targeted a Hamas command center embedded in the facility. 

The group is planning another protest on Thursday at 1 p.m. local time in front of Gerberding Hall on the campus in support of those arrested.