33 charged in 2025 pro-Palestinian protest at UW in Seattle

Name: 33 charged in University of Washington pro-Palestine protest
Uploaded: 2026-03-04T12:57:58-08:00
Description: The 33 people accused of causing nearly $1 million in damage to a University of Washington campus building will not face any felony charges.

33 charged in University of Washington pro-Palestine protest

The 33 people accused of causing nearly $1 million in damage to a University of Washington campus building will not face any felony charges.

SEATTLE - Nearly a year after pro-Palestinian protesters took over a University of Washington building, 33 of them are now facing charges.

On Tuesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office filed 33 cases of first-degree criminal trespass, a gross misdemeanor, in King County District Court for the people involved in the May 5, 2025, protest at the UW Interdisciplinary Engineering Building.

"These were initially sent to us as felony crimes," said Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. "I don't think anyone really feels good about this outcome. On all sides, there are people who are saying this doesn't feel great, and we hear that, but it's the best that we can do with the evidence that we have available."

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Images of the damage done to University of Washington's fabrication studio. (University of Washington)

After months of investigation by the University of Washington police, prosecutors say the 33 individuals are facing gross misdemeanor trespass charges for their involvement in the protest. Prosecutors had initially received felony referrals in June 2025, but later determined there was not enough evidence to support filing felony charges.

According to prosecutors, investigators were unable to identify the individuals responsible for the roughly $1 million in damage to the building. Police said there were no eyewitnesses or surveillance video capturing the damage. Under Washington law, being present in the building during the damage is not enough on its own to prove a felony.

The backstory:

The protests took place 10 months ago in May 2025. The group "SUPER UW" – Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – protested the new Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, which was funded in part by Boeing. The group said it demanded the university cut ties with Boeing due to the company's military contracts with Israel.

The university said the occupation caused about $1 million in damage to the on-campus building, damaging the building's exterior and equipment. The group also set fire to a dumpster outside the building, according to the university.

"We are pleased to see criminal charges filed with the court related to the occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building. This is an important step in ensuring accountability for those who perpetrated this occupation, in addition to the suspensions that the students arrested in the building received through the student conduct process. We value free speech and expression but also must continue to be a campus community where dangerous, unlawful actions are not tolerated," said Victor Balta, a spokesperson for the University of Washington.

Balta tells FOX 13 Seattle that the money needed to fix the damage from the protest last May have not fully been secured.

We appreciate the hard work by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, UW Police and law enforcement partners who investigated a complex case involving a large number of individuals.

About 30 people were arrested after protests escalated Monday night at the University of Washington. The university released a statement Tuesday morning condemning illegal activity and an antisemitic statement issued by a

(Cam Higby via Storyful)

UW administrators said the protesters forced a lockdown, calling the group's actions illegal and dangerous. The university also described the group's statement about the Hamas bombings that killed Israeli citizens as anti-Semitic.

Prosecutors said misdemeanor charges were not filed earlier because doing so could have jeopardized the ongoing felony investigation. After investigators determined that all leads had been exhausted, the cases were re-submitted in Jan. 2026 for misdemeanor consideration.

What's next:

The 33 charged are scheduled to be arraigned on March 25.

According to an Instagram post from the group SUPER UW, who claim responsibility for the protest, the students who were suspended are back on campus.

The Source: Information in this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle and the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.