(The Center Square) – As the federal government launches an investigation into antisemitism at the University of Washington, one Washington state lawmaker is backing students arrested for torching dumpsters and taking over a campus building.
On Monday night, Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return, or “Super UW,” occupied an engineering building and set dumpsters on fire to demand the university sever ties with Boeing, related to the aerospace company’s contracts with Israel and its military operations in Gaza.
Protesters caused an estimated $1 million in damage, according to the university, which reported 34 people face consequences, including arrests, suspensions and campus bans. UW has suspended 21 students who were arrested at the protest.
Rep. Shaun Scott, D-Seattle, responded with a show of support, but offered no specifics.
“If they need additional support, I’ll do my best to amplify how we may be able to help,” he said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh, who also serves as a state representative from Aberdeen, blasted Scott’s sentiment.
He labeled the protest “political theater enacted by the petit bourgeois,” rather than free speech.
“When a spoiled child throws a tantrum, the most effective way to teach him to grow up is to stay calm, explain his mistake to him, and punish him swiftly and decisively,” Walsh emailed The Center Square. “So that he learns the consequences of his choices.”
He concluded, “That is the best ‘support’ anyone can give a spoiled child.”
Scott declined to comment on his online statement.
UW now faces the same federal scrutiny as Columbia University and Harvard University related to campus protests. The Trump administration has announced a review of the incident at the UW campus and its affiliates, citing antisemitic harassment and violence. In May 2024, an encampment of students in support of Palestine took up most of the UW Quad.
“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,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a Wednesday news release.
UW stated that it condemns antisemitism and emphasized its communication with Jewish community leaders to blunt accusations of inaction.
“The university values its long-standing partnership with the federal government [and] will cooperate with the task force’s review and is confident that an evaluation will find we are in compliance with federal civil rights laws,” UW Assistant Vice President for Communications Victor Balta said in a news release.
