Pro-Hamas activists damage universities, face consequences, while Israel remains target of global incitement and chaos..
The University of Washington has concluded disciplinary hearings against the so-called “UW33,” a group of students involved in a destructive anti-Israel protest that caused extensive damage to a major campus facility.
The incident occurred on May 5, 2025, when demonstrators occupied and vandalized the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building during a protest organized by Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER), an unrecognized student group. The activists demanded the university sever ties with Boeing due to its cooperation with Israel.
University officials confirmed the protest caused approximately $1 million in damage, disrupting academic activity and public safety. Following the incident, the students were suspended and barred from campus while conduct proceedings were underway.
According to university spokesperson Victor Balta, the disciplinary process has now concluded. The students were found responsible for violating the student conduct code and served suspensions lasting three academic quarters. Their suspensions have now been lifted.
Balta emphasized that SUPER does not hold official student-organization status and therefore receives no institutional recognition or privileges.
Despite being held accountable, the group celebrated the outcome online, downplaying the findings and accusing the university of excessive punishment. In posts calling for donations, the activists complained about financial consequences while ending with the slogan “Long live the student intifada,” language widely criticized as glorifying violence.
University officials clarified that financial losses resulted from standard enforcement of academic and aid policies, including the forfeiture of tuition exemptions and work-study eligibility during suspension periods.
The University of Washington is among dozens of U.S. universities previously warned by the Department of Education over failures to adequately address antisemitic activity on campus. The protest was one of many anti-Israel demonstrations that erupted nationwide following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, events that critics say exposed how extremist ideologies have taken root in Western academic institutions.
Supporters of Israel argue the case underscores a growing double standard: while Jewish students face intimidation, radical activists damage property, praise violence, and portray accountability as oppression.
