Approximately sixty students blocked the Émile-Boutmy amphitheatre of Sciences Po University in Paris in support of the “Palestinian cause”
Renamed for the occasion as the “Gaza amphitheatre”, the venue was occupied from 8 am to noon. A Palestinian flag was hung, and others were projected.
Around noon, a student was reportedly prevented from entering the room with cries of “Don’t let her in, she’s a Zionist,” according to the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF).
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), the union called for “the immediate lifting of the blockade” and “exemplary sanctions against these students”.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned, during the Council of Ministers, the “unspeakable and utterly intolerable” remarks reported during the demonstration at Sciences Po.
The Minister of Higher Education, Sylvie Retailleau, visited the site during the day. “It is intolerable and shocking to experience any form of discrimination or incitement to hate,” said the government member.
On X, the President of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, had herself called on Sciences Po to “strongly react to these incidents that are multiplying”.
CRIF President Yonathan Arfi said, “Occupying the large auditorium of Sciences Po is not just occupying a space; it’s replacing critical thinking and debate with violence and hatred! By targeting the students of the UEJF, their hatred reveals the essence of their thinking: Jews, as always, are guilty! This atmosphere of antisemitism must stop or democracy will suffocate.”
