Federal Agencies Launch Probe Into Anti-Semitism at University of Washington

According to the school, 34 individuals, including students, have been arrested and will face criminal charges and disciplinary actions following a protest.

Washington State Patrol Troopers watch as demonstrators gather to protest in support of causes that include the Palestinians, immigration, labor, and the environment, at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, on March 12, 2025. David Ryder/Reuters

Federal agencies announced on May 6 that they are reviewing “recent incidents of anti-Semitic violence” at the University of Washington (UW) and its affiliates following a protest demanding that the university sever ties with Boeing over its contracts with Israel.

The Department of Education, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) said in a statement that the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism launched the probe in response to the “eruption of anti-Semitic harassment and violence” during the unrest at UW on May 5, when protesters allegedly shouted “death threats” at law enforcement officers.

“The violence and chaos that ensued on University of Washington’s campus is yet another horrifying display of the antisemitic harassment and lawlessness which has characterized many of our nation’s elite campuses over the last several years,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.

McMahon said that the Task Force will not allow protesters to “disrupt campus life and deprive students, especially Jewish students who live in fear on campus, of their equal opportunity protections and civil rights.”

The university has condemned the occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building and what it described as an “anti-Semitic statement” made by the suspended student group SUPER UW, which it said was “celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.”

UW said that protesters vandalized and occupied the building, set fire to dumpsters, and blocked the roads to delay firefighters’ access before being arrested by law enforcement.

“This was no peaceful protest in support of Palestinian rights or against the war in Gaza,” it said. “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.”

In a statement, UW spokesperson Victor Balta said that 34 individuals, including UW students, have been arrested and will face criminal charges and disciplinary actions following the protest.

The university suspended 21 students who were among those arrested and barred them from all UW campuses. Balta stated that non-student protesters will be banned from the university’s Seattle campus.

“We will cooperate with the Task Force’s review and are confident that an evaluation will find we are in compliance with federal civil rights laws,” the spokesperson stated.

The federal agencies applauded the university and law enforcement for their response to the incident. Still, they said that UW must take further enforcement actions and implement policy changes to prevent violence on campus.

SUPER UW, in a statement, has demanded that the university cut ties with Boeing over its military contracts with Israel and repurpose the engineering building into “a community controlled space.”

In 2022, Boeing donated $10 million to support the construction of the university’s engineering building, according to UW News.

The Epoch Times contacted UW and Boeing for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

UW is one of 60 institutions of higher education currently under investigation for allegations of anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment on campus.

After the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel and the counter-offensive by the Israeli military in Gaza, protests erupted at higher education campuses across the United States, with protesters criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Soon after returning to the White House for a second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 29 directing federal agencies to identify “all civil and criminal authorities” that may be used to combat anti-Semitism on campus.

“Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault” amid the ongoing war in Gaza, according to the executive order.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields previously told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the Trump administration aims to end “unchecked anti-Semitism” and ensure taxpayer money is not used to support “dangerous racial discrimination or racially motivated violence.”