A “Free Palestine” mural on the side of the Stonewall Youth Olympia building on State Avenue and Capitol Way was defaced Thursday for the eighth time, this time by a suspected arsonist.
The fire was reported around 5 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, while Stonewall Youth staff were still in the building, according to a news release from the organization.
An Olympia Police Department spokesperson told The Olympian Friday, Aug. 28, that the department was investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
An unknown suspect set fire to a large pile of debris against the mural’s wall, burning through plywood that covered the mural and damaging the artwork, according to The Olympian’s reporting.
The plywood was reportedly covering the mural to protect it while it was being repainted after a previous defacement.
The Olympia Fire Department fully removed the plywood while extinguishing the fire, according to Stonewall Youth.
No injuries were reported, and damage to the building itself was superficial, but the mural will require some “hefty repairs,” Stonewall Youth said.
“Stonewall Youth will proudly continue to work with the mural project to restore the wall and finish painting,” the organization said in a news release.
The mural was the result of the “Palestine Mural Project,” completed in July 2025 by local artists and supporters” to show solidarity with Palestine and oppose the Israeli occupation and genocide in the Gaza Strip.
The mural depicts the words “Free Palestine,” the Palestinian flag, two children flying a kite, a third child playing with a ball, a pair of broken handcuffs, doves, and the text of the poem “If I Must Die, Let It Be a Tale” by Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer.
The mural was first vandalised in October 2025, with several vandals targeting the mural in separate incidents shortly after the ceasefire was announced. It was again vandalized in December 2025.
Volunteers had been working since April 2026 to repaint the mural, and were in the middle of that work when the fire occurred.
“After so many attacks and repaintings, this latest vandalism is really heartbreaking. But as much as it hurts us personally, we recognize that damage to our art is about something much bigger than us. It is a reflection of the ongoing destruction of Palestinian people’s bodies and lands,” the Palestine Mural Project coordinating committee stated in a news release. “We will not give up on our mural, just like we will not give up on the Palestinian people.”
The coordinating committee released a statement Saturday, Aug. 30, declaring that they don’t yet know whether the fire was directed as an attack against the mural or against Stonewall Youth itself.
Stonewall Youth, a youth-led organization that provides services for LGBTQ+ youth in Thurston, Mason and Lewis counties, reported Friday that the arson attack was preceded by “months of hate and threats.”
While the organization is no stranger to backlash from anti-LGBTQ+ individuals in the community, Stonewall Youth reported that it has been experiencing “an unprecedented amount of harassment and threats recently from far-right provocateurs.”
That harassment and intimidation has occurred both online and in-person at the Stonewall Youth Olympia building.
Over the last few months, the building has seen vandals enact “expensive property damage,” including broken windows, destroyed doors and locks, and vandalism on other walls of the building.
In June, a Stonewall Youth representative informed the Thurston County Board of Commissioners that someone had recently tried to break into the facility, prompting the organization to increase its security measures
Those individuals were reportedly trying to film youth who were confidentially utilizing Stonewall Youth’s services, and allegedly threatened to pepper spray staff who asked them to leave.
Stonewall Youth said the ongoing threats, harassment and vandalism continues “to endanger the safety of staff, youth, participants and other organizations we share our building with.”
In the days since the arson, volunteers have helped replace the damaged plywood, donated money for supplies, and patrolled the area to deter further vandalism.
Stonewall Youth is asking for ongoing community support as it continues to deal with ongoing harassment and works with the mural committee to repair the mural.
“We are subversive, we are queer, and we aren't going away from here, certainly not in a big dark plume of smoke!” Stonewall Youth said in a news release.
The organization is continuing to hold its weekly programs for LGBTQ+ youth ages 21 and under.
For more information on upcoming programs or to donate, visit stonewallyouth.org.
Anyone interested in donating materials or volunteering to help restore the mural is asked to email PalestineMuralOly@proton.me.
Palestine Action of South Sound is asking the Olympia community to submit public comments to Olympia City Council asking the city to “at the very least, issue a statement making it clear that Olympia will not tolerate hate of any kind, including anti-Palestinian racism, in our city.”
The Olympia City Council previously issued a proclamation in December 2023 calling for a permanent ceasefire in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
