Voices From Inside and Outside the Liberated Zone at the University of Washington

by Julia Park, with photos by Susan Fried and Maeve Smith

On the morning of Saturday, May 18, the day after University of Washington (UW) President Ana Mari Cauce announced the university had reached an agreement with protesters demanding the university demonstrate support for Palestine, the Quad was quiet. Rain had fallen in the night after a week of relatively sunny skies, leaving the grass wet and water pooled in lawn chairs.

Most tents were zipped up, but Mathieu Chabaud was one of the few people up and walking around. A member of the UW Progressive Student Union (PSU), the first group at UW to set up tents on the Quad in support of Palestine on April 29, Chabaud was one of the first to be interviewed in the various media outlets that converged on the Quad that day, including The Seattle Times, KING 5, and KIRO 7.

I first met Chabaud when I interviewed him for the Emerald that day. Now, almost three weeks later, Chabaud is still here.

Over the 22 days that the Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone remained on the Quad, I talked to students, professors, and visitors from outside UW about what was unfolding in front of them.

The encampment at UW came amid a wave of protests at U.S. universities that multiplied in the weeks following the Gaza solidarity encampment established by students at Columbia University on April 17. The protests have stimulated varying responses from university administrations, as some have cracked down with law enforcement while others have offered to negotiate with students on their demands.

Pro-Palestinian protesters across the U.S. have opposed Israel's offensive in Gaza and the U.S. military's aid to Israel in the months following Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages, according to numbers reported by Israeli authorities and cited in Reuters.

Israel's counteroffensive in response to Hamas' attack has since killed almost 36,000 people in Gaza, according to numbers reported by Gaza's health ministry and cited by Reuters. The offensive has caused a humanitarian crisis that has leveled communities, displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes, and caused famine conditions in parts of the Gaza Strip.

The Encampment Begins

Protests for Palestine have grown in intensity at UW in the months leading up to the PSU's initial encampment. One group, Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return (SUPER), organized a protest with the support of several other groups on Oct. 12 as a "Day of Resistance" that drew large crowds to campus.

SUPER UW also hosted a protest on Dec. 7 leading to the front of Gerberding Hall, where the UW president's office is located, as reported by The Daily. It coincided with a sit-in in the building planned by the UW United Front for the Palestinian Liberation, which ended when police officers escorted out and, in some cases, physically removed protesters from the building, according to The Daily. The United Front later occupied the student union building overnight following a rally on April 4.

The UW PSU set up a small number of tents on the Quad on the morning of April 29 after announcing its encampment on its Instagram page. In a post that has since been deleted, the group originally announced that its encampment would begin April 25 but then decided to postpone it until the following Monday.

The UW PSU received backlash in comments on Instagram questioning why the group did not appear to be collaborating with major groups that have organized to show solidarity with Palestine in the months leading up to the encampment, such as SUPER UW.

Chabaud said he would not speak on the record about collaborations between groups when interviewed on April 29.

On May 1, the United Front set up an encampment across from the UW PSU's encampment on the Quad, drastically increasing the number of tents. The combined encampment continued to grow over the next few weeks to over 100 tents.

The United Front called its encampment a Popular University for Gaza Liberation Zone. Designated tents served different purposes, including a welcome tent, a medic tent, a mental health tent, a library tent, a prayer tent, a food tent, a kitchen tent, a media tent, and a community art-making space.

Big painted banners clearly announced the protesters' three main demands, which were to divest from Israel, cut ties with Boeing, and end the repression of pro-Palestine students, faculty, and staff.

Mathieu Chabaud: "We saw students across the country were moving in the tens of thousands. It's not just at Columbia, it's not just at these Ivy League schools. We can see it at, for example, the University of Michigan. We see it in Atlanta, Emory [University], the University of Colorado in Denver. We see that students are moving in tens of thousands to take up these demands to a higher level. And we looked at it and we said we can't wait any longer. We need to act now."

Rahma Mohammed was at the media tent when I asked her about the encampment.

Rahma Mohammed, Seattle Pacific University student: "You don't have to be Palestinian to fight for the liberation of Palestine. You just have to be human, you know. And so that is like why a lot of us are here is because we have humanity. We want to see a liberated and free Palestine, a permanent ceasefire. These are things that we are wanting to see and although we're not Palestinian, Palestine is in all of us. And considering that this is a … documented genocide. You cannot turn a blind eye, you cannot pretend like you have not seen the babies killed, the families killed. You can't pretend like you did not hear about the stories. Because we all did. It's a documented genocide."

Others from outside the university came to the Quad to support the movement that students had started. Some, like Gina Petry and Doug Barnes, came from activist backgrounds in other areas.

Gina Petry, Radical Women organizer: "Part of the work we're doing is reproductive justice-related, and this very much is a reproductive justice issue. … The hospitals [in Gaza] are bombed, and there's not safe places for women to give birth or to take care of their children, or even if they're pregnant, or those who have children, to be able to feed them and to have a safe place that they won't be bombed. Everyone is losing their health care, but it always especially hits women and children."

Doug Barnes, Freedom Socialist Party organizer: "I met Raya Fidel, an anti-Zionist professor from the university, and she's retired now, but about 20 years ago, she was helping speak out against the rise of the far-right and speaking out really strongly. And I was involved in that, organizing protests against the Skinheads. They were trying to take over Seattle, and then we went to Idaho and protested them in Coeur d'Alene. So she … and Henry Noble, another Jew, anti-Zionist, taught me a lot about what's going on in Israel and Palestine, and gave me a lot of insights. And then my landlord was one of the leaders of the marches during the Intifada, he's a Palestinian. So he was great. He would come by and teach us how to make Palestinian food and pick grapes."

There were also community members who just came to watch. Ari Mendelson, who said he identifies as an anti-Zionist Jew, was sitting on a bench watching members of the Muslim community participate in a prayer on the Quad.

Ari Mendelson, Seattle community member and campus visitor: "Yeah, I have felt very pulled into this conflict because of my Jewish identity. … I had a very strong Jewish education and that Jewish education also taught me to be very Zionist, very pro-Israel. In school and at camp I learned, and I was always interacting with Israelis. I had Israeli teachers, they would bring Israelis to camp. So I know a lot of people in Israel, I have friends and family that are in Israel, and so especially my family, like, they're sitting ducks for whatever might come into Israel, and so no matter how I feel about the conflict, I have loved ones that are affected by it, and so that has been difficult."

A Space for Discussion?

The encampment operated on a daily schedule posted on the United Front Instagram. Events included daily announcements, community meetings, art-making sessions, guest speakers, and prayers led by Muslim faith leaders.

Mohammed: "What is really great about the Liberated Zone is that it is a peaceful zone. So a lot of times you'll see us, you'll see people sitting down studying. So if you go take a look around, people are sitting down, studying while being in the Liberated Zone. So honestly, that's what I've been doing too, along with other students, because our studies are a priority, but also the liberation of Palestine is also a priority."

Abraham Flaxman, UW professor of health metric sciences: "I thought it was an incredibly dynamic, engaged dream for what a university could be like. Things have been quiet on campus I'd say since COVID. This was one of the most vibrant and sort of like life-filled events I've seen on campus. So it was really amazing to see."

Eva Cherniavsky, UW English professor: "I was just incredibly impressed by how well the camp, how well the encampment was run. There was a sense of community, of care for each other, of support, of making sure that people could feel belonging, and safety and reciprocity with each other."

One Jewish and Israeli student said she walked through the Quad early on in the encampment's duration to share with protesters that she felt their statements were antisemitic. She requested to remain anonymous to ensure her own safety, saying she feared others would try to harm her.

Anonymous Jewish student: "I can't separate the connection that I have to [Israel], to the people. I have loved ones there, I have family and friends. There's nothing I can do to sever that tie, it's always going to be with me. It's a huge part of my identity. So hearing them say things like, first of all, 'globalize Intifada revolution,' hearing them say things like, 'resistance is justified when people are occupied,' hearing them say, 'KKK equals IDF equals SPD,' just very aggressive statements that do not feel conducive to their cause. The message that I kept telling my family and friends are, if you have to put down people's identity to uplift your own message, how strong is it really? There's a productive way of coming about change. … I have to say I left that place crying, and I avoided the Quad after that for so long. They made me feel like such a fool for saying these very rudimentary, basic things, like what you're saying is antisemitic, and could be perceived in the wrong way."

Mendelson said he hadn't experienced any antisemitism or violence when I talked to him, but spoke to the fears he said he has seen expressed by members of the Jewish community.

Mendelson: "I was raised to support Israel, and so I understand why people support Israel. And I think the biggest reason people, especially Jewish people, support Israel is fear. Because a lot of people live in fear that another Holocaust is not just going to happen to us, but it's already happening. They look at Oct. 7, and it was hard for me also, because Oct. 7 was the biggest day of murdered Jews since the Holocaust, most Jews ever murdered in one day since Hitler annihilated 6 million, which is a huge deal, like it's like, whoa, put it in that way. And so that's the perspective that a lot of people are coming from."

Clashes Begin: Voices From Within the Encampment

The encampment saw two major counterprotests on May 7 and May 12 that drew hundreds of people to the Liberation Zone. On May 7, an evening speaking event by conservative speaker Charlie Kirk drew a large crowd to campus, some of whom drifted over to the encampment to watch or confront the protesters supporting Palestine. On May 12, The Pursuit NW church hosted a "United for Israel" march that was planned to run through the Quad but was blocked from entering and instead skirted the border in a march that started on Red Square and ended at its church building on 17th Avenue.

Prior to both events, the Muslim Student Association of the UW put out a call on its Instagram asking for community members in the Seattle area to come to the Quad and help protect the encampment from counterprotesters. On May 10, the university released a statement stating its concern about the scheduled march on May 12 and urging protesters "to dismantle the encampment voluntarily for everyone's safety."

Petry: "I'm following a lot of the groups that have been organizing here, so I'm supporting some of the previous actions just through them. And then today, specifically, heard from the Muslim Student Association about what was happening and the call for community support."

Cherniavsky: "Charlie Kirk said he was going to come and visit the encampments. There [were] real concerns about violence, so members of Faculty for Justice in Palestine did turn out to support the encampment at that moment, to have numbers of people there to try to make sure that there was no violence, and the campers would be safe. So our role was purely one of de-escalation and moral support."

Cherniavsky, a member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, wasn't present at the encampment on the day of Charlie Kirk's event, but she did show up to support the encampment during the counterprotest on May 12.

"I believe in the right to peaceful protest. Going out there and not knowing what to expect, and being vulnerable to possible violent assault, was quite frightening. It was really lovely, though, that it ended up being an afternoon of community, of mutuality."

Clashes Begin: Voices From Outside the Encampment

Regina Friedland, regional director of the American Jewish Committee in Seattle and march participant: "I was glad to see that many came out to proudly support Jewish students at UW during such a difficult time for them, both on and off campus. Law enforcement was needed and visibly present at the rally."

A woman and her daughter were watching the protesters from the border of the encampment. They had gone to Charlie Kirk's speaking event and now were watching the protesters from a small distance away. They wished to remain anonymous, but the mother offered to be identified by the initial L.

L: "I was a student here a long time ago, and it's sad, because we love this campus. We love this university, and it's very sad when you see people like this."

L's daughter: "The Quad is a beautiful place to use, especially in the springtime. It's great for picnics and hanging out with friends."

L: "Free speech is great. We totally believe in that, but it shouldn't shut down other people's free speech. And when things get dangerous, because we actually just met a guy in the HUB who was part of the [Turning Point USA] media team and he got cut. … They were telling us, 'Don't go into the Quad, it's very dangerous.'"

One student was watching the protesters from another side of the Quad. She is a UW student, and wished to remain anonymous because she feared threats to her career.

Anonymous UW student: "There's also a multitude within the two sides, right? That there are people who honestly genuinely believe they're changing the world. There are people who believe their occupation is meaningful. There are probably people who just want to end up on the news. … So yeah, I mean, you can kind of tell who's who when you look at who has the flags, who has the scarves, who has the signs, who is handing out food and water, who is checking on others, and who are carrying spray paint … and garbage-can shields and wearing riot gear. … I think about the people in their final three weeks of classes who are planning on their exams, and it's like this all hours of the night. It's a bit quieter after about 10 p.m., in my opinion, but, you know, I think it's really unfair to those students."

Vandalism Appears

The morning of May 15, students, staff, and faculty members woke up to see buildings across campus vandalized with messages left by pro-Palestinian protesters. That day, Cauce sent out a university-wide email stating that the graffiti, some of which was "quite clearly both antisemitic and violent," created "an unwelcome and fearful environment for many students, faculty and staff, especially those who are Jewish."

The anonymous Jewish student I talked to spoke about the impact of these messages for her.

Anonymous Jewish student: "I thought all of this was horrible, for there to be vandalism. Whatever it is. I don't care what's on that wall, it's not allowed to be there. And also it was so upsetting that the response from the university, at least in the beginning, was to wash [it] away. It's like dealing with the symptom, not the root cause. If you continue to wash away the graffiti right in front of the students that did it, you're giving this impression of, we'll clean up your mess."

Messages included phrases such as "Abolish Israel" and the symbol of an inverted red triangle, which was first used in videos released by Hamas to indicate military targets, as explained by Al Jazeera. According to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization that works to combat antisemitism, the inverted red triangle is often used to glorify Hamas' use of violence in popular anti-Zionist memes and political cartoons.

Anonymous Jewish student: "And then they said that the Star of David is a Zionist symbol. That's literally the definition of antisemitism. You're taking something that has to do with religion and correlating it with the existence of Israel as a country, as a safe haven for Jewish people as well as other people."

Chabaud spoke on the vandalism a few days after it occurred.

Chabaud: "I know that a lot of graffiti went up on buildings, and I don't necessarily, I don't agree with it all. I think the main thing is that I think that those concerns are genuine, but at the same time, the message of 'free Palestine' is not in itself threatening. That's about the liberation of a people. That isn't a threat."

The Agreement

On May 17, in a university-wide statement, Cauce announced that a resolution to the encampment had been reached with the protesters in the Quad. The resolution lists 14 commitments on the part of UW that include meeting with student representatives to discuss the request to divest from companies with ties to Israel, committing to transparency in the university's financial investments, assessing Islamophobia at UW, reviewing study abroad programs for potential discrimination, waiving tuition for at least 20 Gazan students at UW, and not penalizing students for camping on university property overnight, which is a violation of State law. In exchange, protesters agreed to remove their encampment from the Quad by 3 p.m. on May 20.

Cera Hassinan, UW graduate student and encampment participant: "I think [we] collectively do not consider this a victory or win. A win is only the liberation of Palestine. And so, our struggle continues, our fight continues to hold the university accountable. We were disappointed with the university's unwillingness and reluctance to even budge a little bit on being complicit in genocide of Palestinians and having these ties to these weapons manufacturing companies, profiteers, so that's been incredibly disappointing to see the university not listen to students and what we want, as we've seen that the students have voted on all our demands at the Senate. And so there's definitely frustrations, and this isn't a win, like I said, but it's a step in holding the university accountable so that we can work to get our demands met. But even though the Liberation Zone is ending … I can't emphasize enough that our fight for Palestinian liberation continues and we will continue to fight for that in different ways."

Chabaud: "It's not a victory, but it's a step forwards. It's something that we can use to continue to build power. We weren't camping out here, we didn't set up this encampment just to solely set up some tents, we were out here to win some things. And even though we didn't win the demands fully, students are gonna continue to organize for the liberation of Palestine until we see that done. We're starting the divestment process, and we're going to see that it goes all the way through."

Flaxman: "When the right-wingers came through, the university had clearly marked, like this is where people who are trying to start a fight can stand. But this is the line that divides that from where people who are trying to hold a Liberated Zone can stand. And I think it worked. … And I'm so glad that we've made it through safe."

Victor Balta, UW spokesperson: "Most schools have struggled this year with supporting free speech activities and knowing exactly when to intervene. Our goal, as we stated throughout, was to prioritize the safety and security of our campus community. We did the best we could to achieve a peaceful outcome. We also recognize that the outcome could be controversial if you are [a] student or faculty member feeling anxious and threatened by the rhetoric and world events."

📸 Featured Image: The storied Quad of the University of Washington, which has seen protests for civil rights, against the Vietnam War, and recently an encampment protesting the Israel-Hamas War. (Photo: Susan Fried)