Federal Antisemitism probe launched after violent Anti-Israel protest at University of Washington

Following a violent anti-Israel protest at the University of Washington (UW) prompted a federal investigation into antisemitic activities on campus, led by the Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. The probe, involving the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration, follows the arrest of approximately 30 protesters who occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, causing over $1 million in damage. The demonstrators, organized by the student group Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER), barricaded entrances, set dumpster fires, and openly praised Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

The protest targeted UW’s financial ties with Boeing, which donated $10 million to the engineering building and holds defense contracts with Israel. Education Secretary Linda McMahon condemned the “horrifying display of antisemitic harassment and lawlessness,” stating, “This destructive behavior is unacceptable. The Task Force will not allow these so-called ‘protesters’ to disrupt campus life and deprive students, especially Jewish students who live in fear, of their civil rights.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that institutions tolerating such violence risk losing federal funding, emphasizing, “No institution that permits harassment or intimidation of Jewish students should expect billions in taxpayer support.”

UW President Ana Mari Cauce labeled the protest an “illegal building occupation” and denounced SUPER’s antisemitic statements celebrating Hamas’s actions. She reaffirmed UW’s commitment to campus safety and opposition to antisemitism. The federal task force, which has already frozen funds at universities like Columbia and Harvard for similar issues, is scrutinizing UW’s response. As protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza continue to spark unrest nationwide, this investigation underscores the administration’s focus on addressing antisemitism in higher education, with potential implications for UW’s federal support.