7 months ago
23
Similar demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza have swept across university campuses in the US.
French police peacefully removed dozens of students from the prestigious Sciences Po university in Paris on Friday.
The demonstration was in support of Palestine and against the university's ties to Israel.
It came after police dislodged pro-Palestinian student protests at campuses throughout France on Thursday, according to the prime minister's office.
Students at the central Sciences Po campus in Paris waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in support of the people of Gaza, as Israel continues its military offensive against Hamas.
The main building at Sciences Po - which counts French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal among its many famous alumni - had been occupied since Thursday evening.
The university administration has moved classes online.
Similar protests by student groups were recently held at campuses in Lille in the north, Reims in Champagne country and Lyon in the southeast.
Police were asked to remove students from 23 French campuses on Thursday and “all were evacuated within a few hours,” said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's office.
A police presence will be maintained near Sciences Po to prevent any further blockades, it added in a statement.
Protesters called for an investigation committee to examine the university’s economic ties to Israel to ensure they are not violating international law, among other demands.
Sciences Po said administrator Jean Bassères met overnight and Friday morning with students occupying the site to try and find a solution to allow exams to take place.
He asked police to intervene, after failing to find a compromise.
Describing it as a “difficult decision,” the school said it “regrets that multiple efforts at dialogue did not allow this to be avoided.”
Last week, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators faced each other in a standoff in the street outside Sciences Po. Riot police stepped in to separate the groups.
The protest ended peacefully after pro-Palestinian students agreed to leave.
The university agreed to suspend disciplinary proceedings against protesting students and to organise a town hall over the issue.
