(SEATTLE) — More than 25 people were arrested after a group occupied an academic building at the University of Washington, demanding the school sever ties with Boeing as the war in Gaza continues, according to the university and a spokesperson for the group.
A group called Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return claimed it was behind the takeover, with a spokesperson telling ABC News that all of the people who entered the building were arrested.
”They were all arrested and legal and political support is ongoing for them,” the spokesperson, Oliver Marchant, said in a text, adding, “All arrested except one were inside the building — some of those arrested were also injured during arrest and need medical attention.”
About 30 people were arrested on charges that included trespassing, property destruction and disorderly conduct, Victor Balta, a university spokesperson and assistant vice president for communications, said in a statement. Some of those arrested were charged with conspiracy to commit all three of those charges, Balta said, adding that they would be referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Any students identified as being involved will also be referred to the Student Conduct Office,” Balta said.
The school said in an earlier press statement that “a few dozen individuals” had entered the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building just prior to its 5 p.m. closing. Campus police were called to the scene, the university said in a statement to ABC News.
Campus police, which were working with several other agencies, began clearing the area outside the building at about 10:30 p.m., Balta said. Protesters had worked to block the doors and also lit two dumpsters on fire in the street, he said. By 11 p.m., police had entered and began clearing the building.
Prior to the arrests, the school said the “trespassers are mostly covering their faces and stacking building furniture near entryways.”
“To the best of our knowledge, everyone connected to the UW who does not want to be inside the building has left,” the university said in a statement. “Individuals remaining in the building are trespassing and will face legal and student conduct actions.”
The group, which goes by SUPER UW and which identified itself as Pro-Palestinian, issued a series of demands for school administrators, including taking “Boeing out of the IEB,” as the building they’ve occupied is known.
The group asked for the building to be renamed.
Boeing, an airplane manufacturer and one of the largest defense companies in the United States, has a long history with the University of Washington.
The company, which previously was headquartered in Seattle, supplied about $10 million as a donation to aid in the construction of that $90 million engineering building, the school said in 2022, prior to construction. A press release from that time noted that “Boeing’s relationship with the UW dates back more than a century.”
The group that’s occupying the building sought, more broadly, to stop all donations from Boeing to the school.
“Return any existing donations, financial investments, and eliminate all other material ties to Boeing,” the group said. “Prohibit Boeing executives and employees from teaching classes or having any influence over curriculum.”
Balta in a statement said the school was “committed to maintaining a secure learning and research environment, and strongly condemns this illegal building occupation.” The school also condemned the strong language in the protesters’ press release, with Balta saying it “will not be intimidated by this sort of offensive and destructive behavior.”
ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog and Erica Morris contributed to this report.
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