What happened
A pro-Hamas group, Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return UW, or SUPER UW, has been operating near the University of Washington despite its foreign affiliate being sanctioned by the United States as a front for terrorism.
The group, which has been active since 2012, led a riot at the university in May 2025, resulting in fire, vandalism, and arrests. SUPER UW has been linked to the U.S.-designated terrorist group Masar Badil and its youth branch, according to posts documented in a report by George Washington University.
The Treasury Department declared Masar Badil a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in August due to its ties to an international funding network for Palestinian terrorists. Despite this, the group appears to be undeterred, with Masar Badil listing SUPER UW as an endorser for a Canada conference celebrating the anniversary of the “Al Aqsa Flood” — Hamas’s name for its October 2023 massacre in Israel.
The University of Washington has emphasized that SUPER UW is not a registered student group and has banned it from acting as one after breaking campus rules. However, the group continues to operate and has called on locals to join a protest marking three years of Israeli “genocide”.
King County prosecutors charged 33 people with crimes for the May 2025 riot, but have allowed at least 19 to enter into agreements that will drop their charges after complying with certain release conditions. SUPER UW has claimed this as a win for its cause, stating that it is a crucial step in fighting repression through collective defense and community support.
