A pro-Hamas group that led a riot at the University of Washington still operates despite the United States sanctioning its foreign affiliate as a front for terrorism.
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return UW, or SUPER UW, called on Seattle locals in a September Instagram post to join an Oct. 7 protest marking three years of Israeli “genocide.” The group openly labels itself an ally of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Masar Badil and its youth branch, according to posts documented in a Friday report by George Washington University.
SUPER UW, which was active as early as 2012, gained attention in May 2025 for fomenting a UW building takeover that led to fire, vandalism, and arrests. The Treasury Department separately declared Masar Badil a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in August over ties to an already-sanctioned international funding network for Palestinian terrorists.
The Seattle-area activists appear undeterred by the sanctions. In fact, Masar Badil listed SUPER UW on its website as an endorser for a Canada conference celebrating three years since “Al Aqsa Flood” — Hamas’s name for its October 2023 massacre in Israel.
“The question is what happens when ‘resistance’ becomes a justification for intimidation, when terrorists are transformed into heroes, when threats are cloaked in revolutionary language, and when a campus movement becomes a gateway to networks that openly celebrate violence,” the GW report said. “SUPER-UW’s story is ultimately a warning about that progression. What begins as slogans and demonstrations can, over time, normalize increasingly extreme rhetoric, expand into intimidation, and create an environment in which violence against people or property becomes easier to rationalize.”
“Universities, students, and the public should recognize that progression before the line between political activism and political violence disappears entirely,” says the report.
SUPER UW did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment. UW has emphasized that SUPER UW is not a registered student group and that the university banned it from acting as one after breaking campus rules. “The University filed trademark complaints with Meta and the activist group has been told directly to cease referring to itself as having any affiliation with the University,” the university said in July.
A May 2025 statement from Masar Badil announced the launch of its youth advocacy arm, Tariq el Tahrir, which SUPER UW continues to name directly in its Instagram bio.
King County prosecutors charged 33 people with crimes for the May 2025 riot at UW. However, they have allowed at least 19 to enter into agreements that will drop their charges after they comply with certain release conditions, KOMO News reported.
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SUPER UW called the agreements another win for its cause in a Sept. 15 post.
“This outcome is a WIN for the UW33 [defendants,] a win for the Palestine movement, and an important step fight against repression,” the group said. “In a climate where Palestine organizing is being repressed on all scales, it is crucial to highlight our movement’s successes in fighting repression through collective defense, community support, and strong clear politics.”