Student protesters stage anti-Israel sit-in on first night of Hanukkah
On Dec. 7, 36 pro-Palestine activists were removed from the University of Washington’s Gerberding Hall after holding a 'sit-in' to pressure the school to divest from Israel.
According to UW Professor Cliff Mass, anti-Israel graffiti and Nazi swastikas could be found around campus in the leadup to the protest.
On Dec. 7, a group of 36 pro-Palestine activists was removed from the University of Washington’s Gerberding Hall after staging a “sit-in” to pressure the school to divest from Israel.
According to Washington’s student newspaper, the protesters were led by the Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER) and demanded that UW also discontinue its Israel study abroad program, end relations with Boeing, and “end the repression of pro-Palestinian students and faculty.”
[RELATED: 41 anti-Israel student activists arrested in latest Brown divestment ‘sit-in’]
The demonstrators occupied the office of UW President Ana Mari Cauce. Law enforcement detained and removed them after issuing a trespassing warning, with the entire protest lasting seven hours.
The campus sit-in occurred near Red Square, where a menorah lighting had been scheduled to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Ultimately, the Hanukkah celebration had to be relocated because of the protest inside Gerberding Hall.
As noted by KOMO-TV, “The chants from the pro-Palestine protest could be heard by people attending the Hanukkah celebration, though organizers of the action at Gerberding Hall claimed the protest and the timing of the menorah lighting was coincidental.”
Cliff Mass, an atmospheric sciences professor at UW, has criticized the administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and the anti-Semitic messaging on campus in a recent blog post
On Dec. 11, his post said that swastikas and anti-Israel graffiti were found on campus days prior to the sit-in, with phrases like, “From the river, to the sea” and “End ‘Israel’ Study Abroad.”
The Student Conduct Office is currently considering whether to initiate any disciplinary measures against the student protesters.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Washington, Cliff Mass, and SUPER for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
