"From Columbia to Sciences Po and everywhere in France, students are rising up in solidarity!" The slogan, written in red letters on the Sciences Po Palestine Committee's Instagram account, appears next to a map of France showing ongoing protests against the war on Gaza across France in the country's universities.
In May 1 processions, marking Labor Day, a day to celebrate workers' rights, young people marched to the call of the "Palestine committees" of Sciences Po Paris and the Institutes of Political Sciences (IEP) of major cities across the country. These groups, which claim hundreds of members, were formed in November 2023 as Israel stepped up its offensive on Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7.
Since the first camp was set up in the courtyard of Sciences Po Paris on April 24 – evacuated the following night by riot police – and echoing the occupation of Columbia University, the movement in support of Palestinians has gained momentum. On Tuesday, April 30, students at IEPs took action, in cities such as Rennes, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lyon. Along with universities in Paris, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne, the IEPs became the scene of rallies, and even blockades, in the wake of the previous day's mobilization at the Sorbonne, where dozens of tents had been pitched in the main courtyard. At the request of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who wanted "a rapid reaction," police intervened promptly to dislodge the students.
In one week, the police has entered several universities. It had been a long time since there was a comparable exception made to tradition according to which French universities maintain order themselves and are off-limits to police, unless in case of an immediate danger.
To avoid once again resorting to force to lift a second blockade by some 50 students, Sciences Po's interim administrator Jean Bassères negotiated an agreement with protesting students on April 26. He announced the holding of a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian question on Thursday, May 2, during which "all questions may be asked" in the presence of "all stakeholders in the institution," including students, researchers, teachers and employees.
Dubbed a "town hall," using the English term, the event had been requested by the Sciences Po Palestine Committee. However, Bassères did not approve one of the group's other main demands: putting an end to academic partnerships with Israeli universities. This "narrow path" to compromise, as Bassères put it in an interview with Le Monde on Tuesday, will be closely watched, as its outcome could determine the future of the movement, particularly within IEPs and the seven campuses of Sciences Po Paris.
You have 53.54% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.