'We don’t want to be complicit': Nationwide student-led movement grows in France for Gaza

Students across France are mobilising to condemn Israel's actions in Gaza, as campuses in Paris, Menton, Toulouse, and beyond become centres of activism, with students demanding justice and accountability. 

In November, a group of students at Sciences Po Paris came together to express solidarity with Palestine. Since then many pro-Palestine students have been subjected to harassment, doxing campaigns on social media, and censorship from the university administration.  

On March 12, students occupied the main arena of Sciences Po to create a space for debate about the ongoing genocide in Gaza. These very students were then accused of antisemitism by French media. 

The French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, also an alumnus of the school, encouraged the administration to invoke Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure — the latter, alongside the disciplinary procedure, requires the school's management to inform the administrative or judicial authorities.  

"This is the first time in Science Po’s history that riot police have intervened on campus. Our institution has academic freedom so they couldn’t have come in without the agreement of the administration. We demand justice, we receive police"

When students staged a sit-in on April 16 to demand a town hall meeting, they were met with indifference and, eventually, police intervention. In response to their demands, Jean Bassères, the interim director of Sciences Po, chose to implement disciplinary measures, further exacerbating tensions.

Then, on April 24, the pro-Palestinian collective escalated their protest by setting up encampments in the university’s agora, following a vote held at 8 pm on the same day. 

“The decision was voted at 8 pm. By 11 pm, the riot police came," explained Chaïma, a master’s student in Law & Economy at Sciences Po and one of the organisers of the pro-Palestinian protests. 

"This is the first time in Science Po’s history that riot police have intervened on campus. Our institution has academic freedom so they couldn’t have come in without the agreement of the administration. We demand justice, we receive police.”

The riot police forcibly removed students, resulting in injuries and sparking a larger outcry among the student body, who mobilised in greater numbers to resist the unprecedented crackdown on their freedom of speech.  

“Students have always taken part in the decolonisation movement. Universities contribute to this machination through partnerships with Israeli universities and companies like Axa and Carrefour, who benefit from colonisation and apartheid. We don’t want to be complicit,” further asserted Chaïma. 

The same sentiment was reiterated by Thylia, the vice president of Palestine UTS, who studies Politics and Government at Sciences Po Menton campus, specialising in Middle Eastern studies.

The Palestine UTS has been active since 2018. However, following their social media posts after October 7, they faced intense media scrutiny and harassment on social media.

In light of the events in the Paris campus, anti-war students in Menton voted to occupy their campus on the evening of March 29 at 5 pm.   

“The encampment was made of a people’s library, poem recitals, and movie screenings. We didn’t block entry to classes either," Thylia told The New Arab.

"We demand that Sciences Po conducts an investigation into its partnerships with Israeli universities and any companies that are complicit in occupation and apartheid (i.e. Carrefour and Axa). We want Sciences Po to use appropriate phrasing when addressing the risk of genocide according to the ICJ postulates,” she added.   

Thylia has also denounced the ongoing censorship and intimidation of students. Despite the administration's promise to discuss their demands in a town hall, they chose to close the Menton campus indefinitely.

Unfortunately, the representatives from Menton were disregarded as spokespersons for their peers' demands during the town hall meeting.  

“The political authorities want docile obedient students, and we want to educate free-spirited critical thinkers. At Sciences Po, we teach them to engage with the world, not just succumb to it, and that’s what they are doing. Universities should be the ultimate place for uncomfortable debates"

In a University life meeting, Jean Bassères labelled the students from Comité Palestine as "naive and irresponsible" for allegedly exacerbating divisions within Sciences Po.

Thylia commented, "The only way to mend these divides is to be guided by justice and international law." 

Laurent Gayer, a faculty member at Sciences Po and a research director at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, has expressed his solidarity with the students in their right to express themselves freely.  

“Protests, occupation, and blockades are the classic modes of operation and are part of the daily lives of French institutions. The protesters at Sciences Po didn’t vandalise nor harm any persons,” noted Gayer.   

He has also voiced concerns over a growing trend of auto-censorship among faculty. The student movement raises broader questions about academic freedom, institutional accountability, and the politicisation of academic spaces.  

“The political authorities want docile obedient students, and we want to educate free-spirited critical thinkers. At Sciences Po, we teach them to engage with the world, not just succumb to it, and that’s what they are doing. Universities should be the ultimate place for uncomfortable debates,” Gayer stressed.  

Tensions have escalated after failed negotiations on May 2 and May 3 between Sciences Po students and the administration. Despite another night of occupation and police intervention, the university has refused to consider student demands, prompting a decisive response.

In protest, 10 students from the Paris campus and three from the Reims campus initiated a hunger strike. 

"The solidarity displayed across campuses signals a broader societal concern for global justice and human rights, transcending individual affiliations and academic boundaries"

As the student-led movement gains momentum, more universities are joining the anti-war protests, including IEP Strasbourg, Saint-Germain, Rennes, Grenoble, St Etienne, Lyon, Toulouse, Paris, Sorbonne, EHESS, Toulouse2, and Grenobles Alpes, along with all Sciences Po campuses.

These protests highlight the complex intersection of activism, academic freedom, and international politics.  

The refusal of university administrations to engage with student demands emphasises ongoing challenges to open dialogue and the exercise of democratic rights within educational institutions.

The solidarity across campuses signals a broader societal concern for global justice and human rights, transcending individual affiliations and academic boundaries.  

Ultimately, the outcomes of these protests will not only shape the immediate responses of institutions but also contribute to larger conversations about the role of universities in addressing pressing social and political issues. 

Chaima Gharsallaoui is a journalist and filmmaker from Paris

Follow her on Instagram: @chaimagharsallaoui