France | Sciences Po Paris University blocked on Friday in support of Palestine

(Paris) Echoing the pro-Palestinian mobilizations of recent days on American campuses, Parisian students blocked access to the prestigious French university Sciences Po on Friday, pushing the administration to move all courses online.

The demonstration in support of Palestine kicked off an eventful day at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po, which includes President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal among its many famous alumni.

Protesters first occupied a central campus building and blocked its entrance with trash cans, wooden pallets and a bicycle. They also gathered at the building’s windows to chant slogans and unfurled Palestinian flags.

Later Friday, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters came face to face in a tense confrontation on the street outside the school. Riot police intervened to separate the opposing groups.

As night fell, a more dispersed group of pro-Palestinian protesters refused to move, ignoring police orders to evacuate the street and warnings of possible arrests. Eventually, the demonstrators exited the building, waving a large Palestinian flag, to the cheers of the supporting demonstrators outside. They then began to move away from the area peacefully, under police surveillance.

Standoff with the administration

Among the demonstrators’ demands were the severing of ties between Sciences Po and Israeli schools. In an email addressed to students, the director of Sciences Po, Jean Bassères, pledged to hold a public meeting in the coming week and to suspend certain disciplinary procedures against students. In exchange, the students “undertook to no longer disrupt classes, exams and all activities of the institution,” the email specifies.

The war in Gaza deeply divides France, which has the largest population of Muslims and Jews in Western Europe. France initially sought to ban pro-Palestinian protests after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that sparked the war. Anti-Semitism increased in France following this event.

On Wednesday evening, more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators also occupied an amphitheater at Sciences Po. Most had agreed to leave after discussing with management, but a small group of students remained. They were evicted by police later that night, according to French media.

The administration closed all academic buildings and moved classes online on Friday. She indicated in a press release “strongly condemn these student actions which prevent the proper functioning of the establishment and penalize students, teachers and employees of Sciences Po”.

Louise, a protester, said the students’ actions were inspired by similar protests at New York’s Columbia University and other U.S. campuses. Hundreds of students and even some professors have been arrested by police in the United States.

“But our solidarity remains above all with the Palestinian people,” she declared. She spoke on the condition that only her first name be used, for fear of repercussions.

In collaboration with Barbara Surk