With tensions rising between the University of Washington and an encampment protesting the school’s ties with Israel and Boeing, counterprotesters descended on the campus Sunday.
The “United for Israel” march, which was led by The Pursuit NW, a Christian church organization with locations in Snohomish, Kirkland and Seattle’s University District neighborhood, ended without incident just after 6 p.m.
Before the march Sunday afternoon, the university and protesters against the war in Gaza were bracing for potential conflict.
Hundreds of protesters — some wearing all-black clothing, face masks and helmets — had gathered inside the encampment and at the edges of the Quad. Dozens of UW police officers and Washington State Patrol troopers were on campus and law enforcement had put up metal gates around the tents in an attempt to keep the counterprotesters out of the encampment, which is called Popular University for Gaza.
Around 5 p.m., more than 200 marchers showed up to the Red Square plaza on campus, some wrapped in Israeli and American flags, as Pursuit Pastor Russell Johnson spoke.
“We are not here to fight. We are not here to be violent. We are here to peacefully assemble. We are here to stand and support Israel,” Johnson said to cheers from the uproarious crowd.
During his speech, Johnson called for an end to the encampment and for Israeli hostages to be returned home.
Just after 5:30 p.m., marchers headed toward the Quad while chanting “bring them home.” At Johnson’s direction, they avoided going into the encampment.
The march was initially supposed to go through what protesters call a liberated zone. A map posted on Instagram showed the route starting at Red Square, winding through the Quad, where the encampment resides, and ending at The Pursuit’s University District church.
As marchers approached the barricades enclosing the encampment, protesters in the Quad waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Free, free Palestine.”
The march came after the university asked the encampment to voluntarily disband on Friday due to mounting concerns over potential confrontations. The encampment, organized by the University of Washington United Front for Palestinian Liberation, has grown from 20 to about 100 tents since it was set up in early May.
“Our priority is the safety and security of our campus community,” Victor Balta, a UW spokesperson, said in an email Sunday. “Our hope is that people with opposing views refrain from seeking confrontations and avoid antagonizing one another.”
The protesters in the encampment said they refuse to disband unless the university meets its demands, which include divesting from companies that do business with Israel, like Boeing. They said Saturday that they do not want any confrontation with counterprotesters.
“We really don’t want any conflict. We don’t want any violence to occur,” Suzanne Downey, a spokesperson for the encampment organization, said previously.
Johnson, who declined interview requests, said in an Instagram post that the counterprotest was a stance against antisemitism. He encouraged people to join the march during the Sunday morning church service.
“We’re going to lend our voice. I want to invite you out, and I believe this is going to be an important and powerful moment in our region, our community,” Johnson told his congregation.
After leaving the UW campus Sunday evening, Johnson and the march headed to The Pursuit’s church on 17th Avenue Northeast and gathered at the steps before dispersing; a small group went inside for a planned service. At the encampment, protesters against the war in Gaza continued chanting into the evening.
The Pursuit has been instrumental in planning marches at Columbia University and the University of Southern California in recent weeks. In late April, a march to the Columbia University gates in New York City drew hundreds of protesters and, according to reporting from the university’s student newspaper, led to multiple instances of harassment.
Following the Columbia University march, and around the same time protesters against the Gaza war set up tents in the UW Quad, Johnson posted a video with a warning.
“Let me go ahead and just give a warning: That if the faculty, staff, board or president of the University of Washington allows this type of foolishness, or these type of encampments to take root anywhere on the UW campus, I will show up with 5,000 Christians and Jews to stand against this demonic hatred.”
This is the second time that a planned event has caused worries of violence at the UW encampment.
Last Tuesday, protesters with the encampment had a tense standoff with fans of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, after he held an event on campus as part of his “Live Free Tour.”
The confrontation saw back-and-forth chanting, thrown eggs and small scuffles, but no reports of major injuries or arrests.