Nearly two dozen University of Washington students affiliated with Antifa and anti-Israel groups who were arrested last spring for occupying and causing more than $1 million in damage to a newly opened engineering building were back on campus Wednesday as the new semester began.
The University of Washington confirmed that, following the completion of its student conduct review, 23 students were permitted to resume classes. The school told KOMO News it could not confirm how many of those students actually returned to campus.
First day back on campus at the University of Washington and SUPER UW is already handing out pro-Hamas propaganda.@UW Please act. This group has repeatedly collaborated with the Tariq El-Tahrir Student Network, which links students to designated terrorist organizations. https://t.co/sfaUSKtTHH pic.twitter.com/zrlSupXyJE
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) January 29, 2026
The students were tied to Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER UW), a suspended student group that previously claimed responsibility for the building takeover. The group was previously suspended as a student organization after causing over $50,000 to the Husky Union Building.
The group marked the return by setting up a tent in the quad and distributing pro-Hamas materials and graphics glorifying Yehya Sinwar, one of the architects of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. The tent was set up at the site of the 2024 violent Gaza encampment, not far from the engineering building that was damaged during the occupation.
Despite 34 arrests made during the May takeover, the criminal investigation has dragged on since May with no charges filed. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has previously said it is still waiting on information from UW Police before making charging decisions.
The students’ return comes amid continued controversy over the university’s handling of anti-Israel activism. Last week, UW hosted an all-day conference titled “The World as Palestine,” organized by the university’s Middle East Center. The event featured panels and workshops focused on anti-Israel advocacy and activism.
One featured speaker, Majid Sharifi—a professor and director of the International Affairs Program at Eastern Washington University—appeared in a recent interview with Propaganda & Co., where he voiced views aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s hardline positions. Sharifi claimed that “the U.S. is a colony of Israel,” praised Iran’s Supreme Leader, and suggested that the collapse of the Iranian regime would be catastrophic for Israel. The interview was conducted by Ahmad Saadaldin, a former Students for Justice in Palestine leader who has promoted conspiracy theories.
Other conference participants included Anna Beyette, an organizer with the group Resist, who has accused former UW President Ana Mari Cauce of corruption and participated in an “International People’s Tribunal” on Gaza. Laila Taji of Washington for Peace and Justice—an anti-Israel adcocacy group—also hosted a legislative advocacy workshop at the taxpayer-funded university.
Read my latest in @CityJournal!
The Tariq El-Tahrir Student Network connects student activists with members of Hamas and is tied to a group at the University of Washington. The university unsuspended activists last week, despite $1M in damage and no local criminal charges. pic.twitter.com/yU4fRrnxQ9
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) January 23, 2026
UW remains one of 60 universities under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for potential Title VI violations related to antisemitic harassment. The university receives approximately $1.37 billion in federal funding and previously received a “D” grade from the Anti-Defamation League for its handling of antisemitism on campus.
