A group of pro-Palestenian supporters allegedly occupied an academic building at the University of Washington and were later arrested. They demanded that the school sever ties with Boeing for its role in supplying weapons used in the Gaza war, according to the university and a spokesperson for the group.  

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The university said in a statement that the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building was occupied by the protesters shortly before 5 p.m. The engineering building was partially funded by Boeing, according to the university’s website. "UW police are on-site at the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, which was occupied by a few dozen individuals starting just before the building closed at 5 p.m.," the university said. 

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The students were part of a group - Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return - said that they hoped "to remove the influence of Boeing and other manufacturing companies from our educational space." Charges including trespassing, property destruction, disorderly conduct and conspiracy was pressed on the students.

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Protesters called for the building to be renamed after a teenage engineering student who they say was killed in an airstrike in Gaza.

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Visas of Pro-Palestine supporters revoked

Earlier, the US Immigration officials sent notices to foreign students who took part in pro-Palestine protests. In March, visas of hundreds of international students, including many from India, was revoked. Students received emails from the US State Department instructing them to self-deport as their visas have been revoked. While these emails cited petty crimes such as shoplifting, drunk driving, etc as reasons for deportation, many reports suggest that students were deported due to their alleged involvement in campus activism. According to a report by the Associated Press, most students received letters due to their activities in support of the Gaza crisis on the internet. 

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