French police dispersed a pro-Gaza sit-in, at the Sorbonne University in Paris, highlighting the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The action came amid escalating violence in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli airstrikes have reportedly claimed thousands of lives, predominantly among women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
At the Sorbonne University, just meters away from Sciences Po in central Paris, members of the Union of Jewish Students in France (UEJF) were seen setting up a “dialogue table” on Friday. The initiative aimed to facilitate discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, challenging the notion that such conversations are taboo.
UEJF president Samuel Lejoyeux emphasized the importance of fostering dialogue while condemning the singling out of Jewish students as complicit in genocide. However, tensions persisted, leading to police intervention to disband the sit-in.
In addition to the incident at the Sorbonne, similar disruptions were reported at other university campuses across France. At the ESJ journalism school in Lille, access was restricted, with identity checks enforced for students attempting to enter. Meanwhile, students at Sciences Po’s Lyon branch occupied a lecture hall in protest, underscoring the widespread concern and engagement surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
