Pro-Palestinian emcampments arrive in Washington state

Data: Axios research; Note: Universities with joint encampments reported separately; Locations approximated for clarity; Map: Kavya Beheraj, Tory Lysik and Will Chase/Axios

Students at the University of Washington in Seattle, Evergreen State College in Olympia and the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma have set up protest encampments , joining young people across the country calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from Israel.

Why it matters: Inspired by the protests at Columbia University , thousands of students have established protest encampments at more than 100 college campuses across the U.S. to protest Israel's actions in the war with Hamas.

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• The demonstrations have sparked arrests and faculty walkouts while forcing educational institutions to juggle free speech rights with concerns about student safety, hate speech and rising antisemitism .

Driving the news: The Evergreen State College agreed Tuesday to create a task force that would address "divestment from companies that profit from gross human rights violations and/or the occupation of Palestinian Territories," per the school's student newspaper .

• At the University of Washington, leaders of one of two separate encampments are pressuring the school to divest from Israel and "end the repression of pro-Palestinian students, staff, and faculty," according to UW's The Daily .
• Protesters are also calling for the university to cut ties with Boeing, which, per Boeing's website , provides nine distinct products to the Israel Defence Forces.
• Portland State University remained closed yesterday after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the Millar Library on Monday as negotiations between the university broke down Tuesday night, per Oregon Public Broadcasting .

What we're watching: University administrations have begun to crack down on student demonstrators as protests grow in size and intensity.

• As of yesterday, more than 1,300 people had been arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on at least 40 college campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks.
• The majority of arrests have occurred at large encampments and sit-ins that have seen altercations between demonstrators and police, Axios reports.

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