More than 25 protesters arrested after taking over University of Washington building

More than 25 people were arrested after a group occupied an academic building at the University of Washington, demanding the school sever ties with Boeing as the war in Gaza continues, according to the university and a spokesperson for the group.

A group called Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return claimed it was behind the takeover, with a spokesperson telling ABC News that all of the people who entered the building were arrested.

”They were all arrested and legal and political support is ongoing for them,” the spokesperson, Oliver Marchant, said in a text, adding, “All arrested except one were inside the building — some of those arrested were also injured during arrest and need medical attention.”

The school said in an earlier press statement that “a few dozen individuals” had entered the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building just prior to its 5 p.m. closing. Campus police were called to the scene, the university said in a statement to ABC News.

Boeing, an airplane manufacturer and one of the largest defense companies in the United States, has a long history with the University of Washington.

Prior to the arrests, the school said the “trespassers are mostly covering their faces and stacking building furniture near entryways.”

“To the best of our knowledge, everyone connected to the UW who does not want to be inside the building has left,” the university said in a statement. “Individuals remaining in the building are trespassing and will face legal and student conduct actions.”

The group, which goes by SUPER UW and which identified itself as Pro-Palestinian, issued a series of demands for school administrators, including taking “Boeing out of the IEB,” as the building they’ve occupied is known.

The group asked for the building to be renamed.

Boeing supplied about $10 million as a donation to aid in the construction of that $90 million building, the school said in 2022, prior to construction. A press release from that time noted that “Boeing’s relationship with the UW dates back more than a century.”

The group that’s occupying the building sought, more broadly, to stop all donations from Boeing to the school.

“Return any existing donations, financial investments, and eliminate all other material ties to Boeing,” the group said. “Prohibit Boeing executives and employees from teaching classes or having any influence over curriculum.”

ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog contributed to this report.