Trump administration targets UW after destructive protest
UW faces federal scrutiny over recent protests
The Trump administration has announced it is investigating the anti-Israel protest at the University of Washington on Monday where students occupied an engineering building and set two dumpsters on fire before police in riot gear moved in and arrested 30 people.
SEATTLE - The University of Washington is now in the crosshairs of the Trump administration following a destructive protest on Monday night.
The administration said they want to see policy changes to prevent future incidents.
The backstory:
On Monday, a group of protesters took over an on-campus building. University officials said the protesters caused about $1 million in damage.
The Trump administration called Monday night’s protest an "eruption of anti-Semitic harassment and violence."
The impact of the protest
The Trump administration Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is now reviewing due to the protest.
Harvard and Columbia University have faced similar reviews and lost combined billions in federal funding.
The University of Washington receives $1.5 billion in federal dollars.
UW responded to the administration’s review with a statement that reads, in part:
"The University values its long-standing partnership with the federal government. 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."
UW's action against the protesters
Local perspective:
The university said 34 people were arrested following Monday’s protest. Of them, 21 are students, and they are now suspended and banned from all UW campuses, university officials said.
The non-students arrested are banned from Seattle’s campus.
The protesters' response
The other side:
On Thursday, SUPER UW, the group who organized the protest, held a rally on-campus.
SUPER UW demanded that the students who were arrested for the protest face no punishment.
"All students, all faculty, staff, workers and community members must stand firmly behind the protesters. We must demand they drop the suspensions, and we must demand that they drop the charges," said Noah Weight, a member of SUPER UW.
UW said SUPER UW is a group that is suspended from campus.
The Trump administration says in its notice to UW that change is needed.
The statement reads in part:
"The university must do more to deter future violence and guarantee that Jewish students have a safe and productive learning environment. The Task Force expects the institution to follow up with enforcement actions and policy changes that are clearly necessary to prevent these uprisings moving forward."
The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.
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