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Students at University of Washington joining nationwide pro-Palestine encampment protests

The students are calling on the university to cut ties with Israel.

SEATTLE — A group of students at the University of Washington have joined the nationwide pro-Palestinian movement and set up an encampment on the campus quad.

"We've seen the national student movements have taken up these demands in stride, and you see tens of thousands of students or hundreds of thousands of students at their universities fighting to free Palestine," said Mathieu Chabaud, member of the Progressive Student Union at UW.

The organization is calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, as well as demanding the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing due to its defense unit and military work.

"Those go towards killing families in Gaza, and when it comes to the University of Washington, they're deeply tied with that," Chabaud said.

Jewish students tell KING 5 they feel uneasy about the protests and unsafe on campus.

"When that starts up, I do feel my heart pounding, and I'm very anxious to be here," said Olivia Feldman, a senior at UW and co-president of Students Supporting Israel.

Feldman said she's been getting texts from other Jewish students asking if it was safe to come on campus.

"My message is to keep going to your classes, to keep being proud, stay safe. We've warned students about the encampment and to stay away from it," Feldman said.

Feldman said she doesn't feel safe on campus.

"No, I do not feel safe on campus. I've been called names, I've been spit at, I've been laughed at in the Senate, I'm also a student senator," Feldman said.

Feldman is a great-granddaughter of holocaust survivors.

"It is a very visceral feeling in me when someone tells me to go back to the gas chambers," Feldman said.

Feldman is calling on other Jewish students to stay strong and proud while protests aren't planning to leave anytime soon.

Protestors said they will stay until the University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce gives a written commitment to their demands.

The university put up no camping signs, which did not deter protestors.

A spokesperson for the University of Washington said, "We will monitor the situation throughout the day and respond as appropriate to maintain a safe and secure environment for our campus community."

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