UW says prosecutors will review charges for students who occupied president's office

Editor's note: A UW spokesperson told KOMO News in a statement on Dec. 12 that criminal charges were unlikely to be filed against the protesters involved. KOMO News published a story reporting the spokesperson's statement on Dec. 13. After the story was published, the UW spokesperson said he had 'spoken out of turn' in saying that charges were unlikely to be filed and asked for a clarification that the cases will be reviewed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Previous story

SEATTLE -- Officials with the University of Washington (UW) say it will ask prosecutors to review potential charges against 36 people who occupied the office of university President Ana Mari Cauce during a protest last week.

The pro-Palestine protesters were detained and removed from the building by police after being warned they were trespassing in Gerberding Hall during a 7-hour protest on Dec. 7.

In a statement to KOMO News, university spokesperson Victor Balta said a decision on whether to file criminal charges will be referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Balta said the Student Conduct Office is gathering evidence to determine any student disciplinary action that may be taken.

On the night of the protest, the university said 36 people were detained and processed for investigation of criminal trespass.

Protest organizers made a list of demands for UW that included ending study abroad trips to Israel, cutting all ties with Boeing, and "materially divest from Israel."

The protest happened in Red Square at the same time the Jewish community on campus planned to gather to light a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah. The Hanukkah celebration was relocated due to the ongoing protest.

Organizers of the pro-Palestine protest told KOMO News the timing and location of the protest were not related to the Hanukkah celebration, despite being in the same place and same time as the event which had been planned for weeks.

RELATED: Seattle's Jewish community heightens security for Hanukkah amid rising threats

This week, UW professor Cliff Mass criticized how the university has handled recent protest actions, including the incident at Gerberding Hall.

“The UW administration should have made it clear to the Hamas supporters that loud, disruptive demonstrations calling for the Jewish genocide and the destruction of Israel would not be tolerated,” Mass wrote in a blog post. “The UW has a huge Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy that costs about $20 million a year. These diversity deans and their minions are constantly reminding UW students, faculty, and staff of the ‘violence’ of using the wrong pronouns and other social justice affronts. But as far as I can tell, not a single UW DEI staff member has spoken publicly about the direct threats against Jews and Israelis by the Hamas supporters on campus.”