Inspired by the Gaza Solidarity encampment on a US campus, students in Paris on Friday cut off access to campus buildings at France’s prestigious university and urged administrators to move all classes online.
The pro-Palestinian protests began a dramatic day at the Paris Institute of Political Science, whose notable alumni include President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
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Protesters first occupied a building in the center of campus, blocking the entrance with trash cans, wooden platforms and bicycles. They also gathered at the windows of buildings, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and holding Palestinian flags and placards.
On Friday, April 26, 2024, students blockade the Polytechnic University in Paris. Students at prestigious universities resumed pro-Palestinian protests on Friday, days after French police dispersed demonstrations, inspired by Gaza Solidarity encampments set up on campuses across the United States. Dozens of students from the Polytechnic University blocked the entrance to a campus building in central Paris with chairs and bicycles. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Shafer)
Late Friday, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators engaged in a tense standoff in the street outside the school. Riot police intervened to divide the protesters.
As night fell, the number of pro-Palestinian protesters dwindled, refusing to move, ignoring police orders to evacuate the streets and warnings of possible arrest. Eventually, demonstrators emerged from the building holding large Palestinian flags, to cheers from the demonstrators who had been cheering outside. They then began to quietly flee the area while being watched by police.
Among the protesters’ demands was for Science Poe to sever ties with Israeli schools. In an email to students, Sciences Po Administrator Jean Baseles promised to hold a town hall meeting next week and suspend some disciplinary proceedings against students. In return, the students “committed to not further disrupt courses, exams, or other institutional activities,” the email said.
The Gaza conflict has sharply divided France, which has the largest Muslim and Jewish population in Western Europe. France initially called for a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that triggered the war. Anti-Semitism soared.
More than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the Science Po Amphitheater on Wednesday night. After discussions with management, most students agreed to withdraw, but a small number remained. They were removed by police later that night, according to French media reports.
University authorities closed all university buildings on Friday and moved classes online. The university said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the student’s actions that interfere with the proper functioning of the school and penalize the students, teachers, and staff of the Faculty of Science.”
Protester Louise said the students’ actions were inspired by similar demonstrations at Columbia University in New York and other campuses in the United States.
“However, our solidarity remains first and foremost with the Palestinian people,” she said. She spoke on condition that only her first name be used out of concern for the repercussions.
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Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war have stormed Columbia University, one of many demonstrations roiling campuses from California to Connecticut.
Hundreds of students and even some professors have been arrested across the country, sometimes leading to clashes with police.
