Over 20 students have resumed their studies at the University of Washington after participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration that resulted in significant campus unrest, including fires and damages exceeding $1 million.

On May 5, 2025, a group of 34 students associated with the Palestinian advocacy group Super UW were apprehended after occupying the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building for several hours. Their protest was aimed at the university’s affiliations with Boeing and Israel.

The incident occurred shortly after the $150 million building, which included a $10 million contribution from defense and aerospace giant Boeing, had opened its doors.

According to King 5 News, the protest left behind vandalized walls, glued-shut doors, burning dumpsters, shattered glass, and damaged lab equipment.

“I was just stunned, thinking, ‘What on earth happened?’” said undergraduate student William Ngo upon witnessing the aftermath at the building the following day.

“I never imagined something like this could occur — students locking or barricading themselves inside a building,” Ngo remarked. “It’s just unheard of here.”

The arrested students were suspended and a criminal investigation was launched, though the prosecutor’s office has not yet filed any charges. 

On Wednesday, Vice President of Campus Community Safety Sally Clark confirmed to KOMO News that 23 students involved have been allowed to return to classes. 

More than 20 students have returned to the University of Washington months after taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest that saw them storm campus and cause more than $1 million in damages

In May, 34 students linked to the Palestinian equality group Super UW held an alleged several-hour takeover of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to protest the university’s relationships with Boeing and Israel

On Wednesday, Vice President of Campus Community Safety Sally Clark (pictured) said the decision followed a student conduct review, though didn’t mention how many students will return

The decision followed a student conduct review, though the university could not confirm how many of those students actually chose to come back to campus. 

According to Clark, the student conduct process holds students accountable and can result in serious consequences for their education and professional futures.

When questioned about the lack of charges eight months after the alleged occupation, she acknowledged that the case remains ‘unresolved,’ even after months of investigations. 

Clark said accountability for the $1 million in damages is an ‘ongoing issue’ not handled through student conduct, but declined to comment on whether it is being addressed through criminal channels. 

She claimed it would be a ‘mischaracterization’ to say no charges have been filed, though the King County Prosecutor’s Office has said it is still waiting on the school to provide more details before deciding on charges, according to KOMO News. 

After the alleged riot, the University of Washington Police Department (UWPD) faced backlash for what many saw as a ‘bungled investigation.’

Critics pointed to a lack of surveillance cameras inside the engineering building and limited coverage at entry points and doors. 

Clark denied that police dropped the ball, arguing that the department ‘has worked extremely hard from that night.’

Walls were vandalized, doors glued shut, dumpsters set on fire, glass shattered and destroyed lab equipment were among the scenes following the takeover

Since the incident more than 250 days ago, the university has installed cameras both inside and outside the engineering building, she told the outlet. 

She said that, although the prosecutor’s office has no record of felony or misdemeanor charges filed, information has been ‘forwarded’ by the police department. 

‘That work has been ongoing and we’re grateful for the work that people are doing to help UWPD in assessing all of the evidence and in looking at all the potential routes to continue to do in order to get that right when they do file charges,’ she said.

Clark said that if the high-profile case ends without any charges, it would ‘be a shame’ and a missed opportunity. 

Last week, Spokesperson Casey McNertheny of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told KOMO News that he does not think authorities mishandled the case. 

‘I think it’s the difficulty of case law,’ he said, adding that there is no concern about a statute of limitations despite the pending disciplinary hearings.

Ana Sarna, co-founder of the University of Washington’s Jewish Alumni Association, told the outlet: ‘We’re really disturbed by it.’

‘When you don’t have any accountability, then people are emboldened to do something worse,’ she added.

When asked about the lack of charges, Clark said that the case remains ‘unresolved,’ even after months of investigations

Clark said accountability for the $1 million in damages is an ‘ongoing issue’ not handled through student conduct

Meanwhile, the campus disciplinary process also drew controversy after Super UW, which claimed responsibility for the protest, posted that students were ‘free’ once a conduct board found only ‘two minor violations,’ KOMO News reported. 

The protest and overnight occupation played out publicly, with live streams and broadcasts across both television and online platforms. 

Dressed in black and brandishing Palestinian flags, protesters called on the university to sever its ties with Boeing due to the company’s work with the Israeli military.

Weapons supplied by Boeing have been used in Gaza, where Israeli military attacks have killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. 

‘I was surprised by the extent they took it to,’ graduate student Mitsuki Shimomura told King 5.

Sophomore Kyle Chang told KOMO News: ‘I was kind of surprised they were setting fires to things. I didn’t know they were vandalizing inside the building.’

The occupation ended after police in riot gear broke through barricades and arrested protesters inside.

A day later, a second-floor classroom door had been torn off its hinges and epoxy-glued doorways blocked access to a main stairway and other exits, according to The Daily UW student newspaper.

The May protest and six-hour overnight occupation played out publicly, with live streams and broadcasts across both television and online platforms

Throughout the building, graffiti on the walls read: ‘Boeing is the #1 weapons manufacturer to Israel, this building is NOT,’ and ‘Boeing kills’

Clark said that if the high-profile case ends without any charges, it would ‘be a shame’ and a lost opportunity

Throughout the building, graffiti on the walls read: ‘Boeing is the #1 weapons manufacturer to Israel, this building is NOT,’ and ‘Boeing kills.’

UW condemned the protest in a statement that read: ‘The University will not be intimidated by this sort of horrific and destructive behavior and will not engage in dialogue with any group using or condoning such destructive tactics.’

The university said it values its long-standing partnership with Boeing, which spans more than 100 years.

In March, the Board of Regents voted not to pursue divestment from Boeing or other companies, arguing that it would violate academic freedom.