(The Center Square) – An encampment in the middle of the University of Washington campus has grown in size as the school shows no signs of meeting the protesters’ demands.
Demonstrators are demanding UW divest from Israel, cut ties with Boeing, and end repression of pro-Palestine students, faculty and staff. The students join others across the U.S. in making similar demands.
Approximately 1,000 students have been arrested nationwide since a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University in New York sparked similar uprisings on campuses throughout the U.S..
Since the initial encampment, dozens of tents have occupied UW’s main quadrangle as a result of the UW United Front for Palestinian Liberation setting up tents and establishing the “Popular University for Gaza.”
“We have chosen to establish a liberated zone to increase pressure on the University of Washington to meet our demands,” the group stated in a social media post. “There will be no business as usual during a genocide – we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and will not leave until our demands are met.”
Within the encampment, some held muslim prayer sessions throughout the day, while others engaged in conversations.
No significant incidents have happened since the initial encampment.
UW spokesperson Victor Balta previously told The Center Square in an email that the school is continuing to keep an eye on the protest.
The school has been a research partner with Boeing since 2015. Through the Boeing Advanced Research Collaboration, Boeing engineers along with University of Washington College of Engineering faculty and students work on joint projects that address the challenges of aircraft manufacturing.
The Center Square reached out to the school to inquire on if there have been considerations for cutting ties with Boeing or Israel, but did not receive a response at the time of this publication.
However, Balta told The Seattle Times that the university will not end its relationship with Boeing.