Although France is calling for a “permanent” ceasefire in Gaza, and Emmanuel Macron, its president, is raising his voice against Benyamin Netanyahu who is preparing to drown Rafah in a bloodbath, the mobilization of students of Sciences Po against the war does not trigger any demonstration of sympathy with Gabriel Attal. The Prime Minister on Saturday described these students mobilized to put an end to the horror as an “active and dangerous minority” and he deplored “the heartbreaking and shocking spectacle” of the blockade and partial occupation of the establishment.
According to testimonies collected by AFP, those gathered demanded that Science Po “cut its ties with universities and companies which are complicit in the genocide in Gaza” and “an end to the repression against pro-Palestinian voices on the campus.” The situation calmed down on Friday: students committed to no longer disrupting classes, exams and all activities of the institution while the management of Sciences Po announced the suspension of disciplinary procedures and the organization of an internal debate next week.
“Restless minority”
“There will never be a right to blockage, never any tolerance with the action of an active and dangerous minority which seeks to impose its rules on our students and our teachers,” declared Gabriel Attal during a trip to Pirou (Manche). The Prime Minister deplored a “heartbreaking and shocking spectacle”.
The higher education establishment was at the heart of great tensions with the arrival of around fifty pro-Israel activists in front of the building, chanting “Liberate Sciences Po” or “Liberate Gaza from Hamas”. Some were masked and had motorcycle helmets.
“For there to be debate, the rules must be respected, respect for each other’s positions must be permanent, this is not what we saw yesterday,” said Gabriel Attal, accusing “a minority agitated by political forces in particular La France Insoumise (to) seek to disrupt the functioning of this institution”. “I will not accept it,” he added, promising to “maintain absolute vigilance (…) on respect for the values of the Republic and the law”.
“Dangerous game”
The Minister of Higher Education Sylvie Retailleau, for her part, “thanked” the management of Sciences Po after the agreement which put an end to the movement in this establishment, “which must remain a place of study, respect and debate serene.”
“Shame on those who exploit passions: their cynicism blinds them,” the minister added on the X network. Friday, she denounced the “dangerous game” attributed in this mobilization to LFI, several deputies of which were present in the gathering in front of Sciences Po.