Thirty-three people have been charged with criminal trespass following a pro-Palestine demonstration at the University of Washington that caused an estimated $1 million in damage to a campus engineering building.
The defendants, who were arrested during the May 2025 demonstration at the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, pleaded not guilty to the gross misdemeanor charges during arraignment hearings this week. A judge barred media from filming the defendants’ faces after defense attorneys raised safety concerns and cited instances of individuals being doxxed.
Prosecutors acknowledged they do not have enough evidence to link any of the 33 individuals specifically to the property destruction, meaning none face felony charges tied to the damage. Investigators previously noted there were no security cameras inside the building at the time and no fingerprints were recovered, as demonstrators had been wearing gloves.
Defense attorneys challenged the evidence presented in court, pointing to gaps in the initial police report. “There’s no allegation or evidence demonstrators broke in; the door was open because this is a public institution,” one defense attorney argued. Another attorney noted there was “no indication of where each individual demonstrator, later alleged to be inside the building, got into the building.”
Several of those charged have ties to UW as students and alumni. The university had previously suspended about two dozen students connected to the demonstration, though they have since been allowed to return to campus. Shira Kaufman of the UW Jewish Alumni Association criticised that decision. “These students do not have a place at this university,” Kaufman said. “They could have expelled these students instead of giving them a slap on the wrist of only three quarters missed.” A university spokesperson responded that students “are subject to due process and must be found responsible for violating the student conduct code based on a preponderance of evidence.”
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Many were released without bail due to the lack of prior criminal history and have been ordered to avoid contact with UW and the engineering building as conditions of their release.
