University of Washington students join pro-Palestinian campus protest movement

University of Washington students have organized a pro-Palestine protest camp on the northeast side of the Seattle campus' Quad.

As of Monday morning, a couple dozen people were at the camp, speaking out against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The camp is part of a growing movement at university campuses across the United States.

UW's Quad, normally quiet in the morning, was punctuated with student chants.

"Stop the war machine!" the protestors shouted. "Don't cry, we won’t let you die."

UW students protesting the war in Gaza are calling on the university to divest from Boeing, which organizers said has aided and profited from Israel's occupation in Gaza.

RELATED: Pro-Palestinian encampments and protests spread on college campuses across the U.S.

"When windows are blown out in a building in Gaza and kills an entire family, there’s a good chance that that’s because of Boeing," said Matthieu Chabaud with the Progressive Student Union, which organized the UW protest.

Organizers had originally planned to set up the protest camp last week. It was postponed after they were criticized for not involving Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students in the planning, according to the UW student newspaper, The Daily.

More than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since early October, after Hamas militants attacked Israel, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Roughly 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack, with 129 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

RELATED: Seattle students walk out of class to demand peace in Gaza

Chabaud said the encampment will stay until UW President Ana Mari Cauce commits to divest from Boeing and from Israel.

Protestors at Portland State University made similar demands — and were successful. Portland State put a temporary hold on its financial relationship with Boeing, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The UW protest is the latest to join a growing number of student protests at college campuses across the country. NPR reports that nearly 300 protestors at various college campuses were arrested over the weekend, some after clashes with police or pro-Israel counter protestors.

The ACLU of Washington issued a statement in support of the UW students' right to demonstrate "as long as they do not violate a school’s narrowly tailored time, place and manner restrictions."

"The freedom of expression is a foundational value of the academic system and a cornerstone of our democracy," said Vanessa Torres Hernandez, the ACLU of Washington's director of integrated advocacy. "As students demonstrate in support of Palestine on campuses and schools across the state, we call on university and school administrators to honor and protect this core American value."

By Monday evening, about 30 protestors occupied a handful of tents.

Across from the encampment, UW senior Olivia Feldman stood holding a print of an Israeli flag.

“We’re not here to say that there isn’t a gruesome war happening," Feldman said. "But we’re here to say that Jews deserve self-determination in the State of Israel, in their homeland, but not at the cost of Palestinians, never at the cost of Palestinians.”

Feldman said she fears the protests could escalate.

RELATED: As student protesters get arrested, they risk being banned from campus too

In a statement to KUOW, UW spokesperson Victor Balta said, "We will monitor the situation throughout the day and respond as appropriate to maintain a safe and secure environment for our campus community."

Update, 5:58 p.m. on Monday, 4/29/2024: This story has been updated to include comments from a counter-protestor and to update the number of students present at the protest camp at the end of the day.