Jewish groups called on the University of Washington Board of Regents to stop tolerating aggressive, disruptive protests after activists forced the panel to cancel its meeting by shouting down speakers opposed to a divestment proposal.
“The University of Washington must take immediate action to restore safety and dignity for Jewish students, faculty, and staff. We cannot accept vague promises any longer,” said Solly Kane, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
Protesters with UW Divest for Palestine, many of them masked, shouted down Jewish speakers during the comment period on a proposal to form a committee to consider whether to divest the university’s $5.5 billion endowment fund from “weapons companies” doing business with Israel.
“Though the Board of Regents warned the crowd multiple times that they would clear the room if the disruption did not end, no action was taken,” said Mr. Kane, who attended the meeting, in a statement . “This failure to enforce basic civility only emboldened the disruptors.”
David Zeeck, the board’s outgoing chair, and incoming Chair Blaine Tamaki acknowledged that the Thursday meeting was adjourned “after disruptions made orderly conduct of the meeting impossible.”
“Speakers addressing labor issues and those calling for divestment from Israel had spoken without interruption, but when Jewish speakers opposed to divestment and concerned about antisemitism on campus began their comments, protestors repeatedly interrupted and shouted them down,” they said. “Despite repeated warnings to stop and clear the room, protesters continued their chants to shut down the meeting.”
They condemned the protesters’ actions as “antithetical to free dialogue and disrespectful of other UW community members,” adding that efforts to intimidate the regents “will not influence the Board’s decision-making process.”
The federation, joined by the Jewish Community Relations Council, called on the board to take concrete steps, including establishing and enforcing “clear, unambiguous policies on antisemitism, protests, encampments and masked demonstrations.”
They also called on the board to release the results of its antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces; implement a “clear plan for education” on antisemitism for students and staff, and enact a clear process for reporting and addressing antisemitic incidents.
Universities nationwide tightened their rules on protest mayhem after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel spurred pro-Palestinian encampments, occupations and demonstrations, spurring fears about Jewish student safety amid rising antisemitic activity.
What remains to be seen is whether campus officials are willing to risk the ire of student activists, as well as university student governments and faculty senates, by enforcing the tougher restrictions and penalties.
UW Divest for Palestine defended the actions of the “peaceful protesters,” one of whom was arrested by campus police, posting a statement Friday entitled , “Being Booed Isn’t Repression of Speech. Being Arrested Is.”
“The Regents care more about silencing student chants than the safety of peaceful protesters of the UW community,” said the group on Instagram.
Pro-Gaza activists were infuriated after the board decided Wednesday to postpone a vote on whether to form a committee on divestment until the March meeting.
After the meeting was adjourned and security escorted the regents from the room, some of the protesters took their seats and held a mock meeting for two hours at which they passed a divestment proposal, according to UW Divest.
Mr. Kane called on supporters of Seattle’s Jewish community to contact the regents and tell them to take action.
“Our work is far from over, but I want you to know that the Federation will not stop until we see real change,” he said. “We are standing strong, and we will continue to advocate for our Jewish students on campus and our Jewish community. Tell the UW Board of Regents they must act.”
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