UW Board of Regents hears from pro-Palestinian protesters as Quad encampment continues

SEATTLE— The University of Washington (UW) Board of Regents was directly addressed by student protesters during a meeting Thursday afternoon. The students formally requested that the university cut ties with Boeing and Israel.

The hour-long public testimony included several students and chants of “Free Palestine” from the main hall of a conference room on the UW campus.

Board Chairman David Zeeck said members would not respond to the specific testimony, but did set aside additional time for the formal reading of a resolution from Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW).

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The board then held an executive meeting with UW President Ana Mari Cauce. The meeting is expected to resume later Thursday afternoon.

ASUW President Jacob Feleke confirmed to KOMO News that “Resolution R-30-24 – A resolution to divest from companies profiting from violations of international law and human rights in the violence against Palestine” was passed at 6:50 PM on Tuesday.

The resolution “condemns the acts of genocide committed by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people and land,” calls on UW to divest investments from companies that “directly perpetuate, support, or benefit from the Israeli occupation,” and “meet the requirements of the liberated zone.”

The resolution was passed the same day a group of more than 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered on the UW campus as part of an ongoing protest against Israel. A ‘Liberation Zone’ has been set up in the Quad, with dozens of tents, which has been the center of pro-Palestinian protests on campus over the past week and a half.

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KOMO News witnessed at least one fight during the demonstration on Tuesday, with at least ten people involved in the skirmish. No arrests were reported and no one appeared to be seriously injured.

Protesters also twice used spray paint to destroy the lens of a KOMO News camera, but most demonstrators remained peaceful.