French police remove pro-Palestinian protesters occupying building at Sciences Po
French police cleared out a pro-Palestinian occupation that emerged at Sciences Po in Paris, a renowned university known for its political elitist alumni.
The occupation was similar to those that have propped up on college campuses across the United States, including Columbia University in New York City and UCLA in Los Angeles.
Comité Palestine Sciences Po occupied the inside of the university’s main building in the center of Paris, prompting Sciences Po officials to block access to its main facilities on Friday.
Police conducted an operation around noon and “peacefully evacuated” student activists from the facility, reclaiming the occupied building back to the university.
The left-wing student group said the occupation was in order to “support the Palestinian people.”
Much like the occupations in the US, Politico reported that the pro-Palestinian activist organization issued a set of demands to the university.
The demands included cutting ties with “institutions or entities that uphold Zionist ideologies” and taking “a principled stance by sending an official communication condemning the actions of Israel that infringe upon the rights and well-being of Palestinians.”
The demonstrators were given the option by the university administration to stay inside the cafeteria without making “any exterior contact,” the Comité Palestine Sciences Po informed Politico. The plan was rejected by the movement’s organizers because, in their words, it would have made it hard to “stock up on food or talk to the press.”
The occupation was condemned by French officials who said they are working to prevent similar incidents of violence occurring at other universities.
The protests, according to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, are the result of “an active, dangerous minority” that is attempting to “impose” a “ideology from across the Atlantic.” Attal stated last week that students would never be given the “right to blockade.”
According to Valérie Pécresse, the conservative president of the Île-de-France region of Paris, all regional funding for the institution would be suspended “until serenity and safety are restored.”
While the demonstrations were denounced by conservative leaders, left-wing politicians welcomed them.
In addition to the US, pro-Palestinian demonstrations have emerged on university campuses around Europe, including the UK, Germany, and Italy.