law enforcement evacuates pro-Palestinian activists

The police began their intervention on Friday at Sciences Po Paris to evacuate several dozen pro-Palestinian activists who had occupied the school premises since the day before.

According to a Sciences Po student who spoke to the press, “around fifty students were still present in the premises on rue Saint-Guillaume” when the police entered the building, a week after a mobilization marred by tensions at Sciences Po Paris.

The main buildings of Sciences Po Paris were closed on Friday morning, by management decision after a new occupation by a few dozen students mobilized for Gaza, and the police blocked the street. The Palestine Committee, which held a press briefing late in the morning, announced “refuse compromise” proposed by the management of Sciences Po Paris.

“The firmness is and will remain total”

“The firmness is and will remain total”Matignon said on Friday. “Regarding the situation in the establishments, some could be resolved through dialogue. For others, requisitions by university presidents were made and the police intervened immediately. This firmness is paying off: 23 disturbed sites were evacuated yesterday.”the same source indicated, adding, for Sciences Po Paris, that Gabriel Attal had “requested intervention upon requisition by the provisional administrator”.

Since the beginning of the morning, the street has been blocked by the police. “A disproportionate and security response”estimated two students from the Palestine Committee, who also regret the absence of“medical aid” with the seven students who started a hunger strike the day before.

Actions carried out by students in support of Gaza take place mainly in Sciences Po establishments across France, but few within universities. In the United States, the campuses of around forty universities are experiencing a wave of mobilization, with strong interventions by the police.