The façade of the establishment, photographed in December 2023. – Credit: Jumeau Alexis / Jumeau Alexis/ABACA
On Tuesday, March 12, around sixty students blocked the Émile-Boutmy amphitheater in support of the Palestinian cause. Renamed for the occasion as the “Gaza amphitheater,” the place was occupied from 8 am to noon. A Palestinian flag was hung, and others were projected.
Around noon, a student was reportedly prevented from entering the room with cries of “Don’t let her in, she’s a Zionist,” according to the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF). In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), the union called for “the immediate lifting of the blockade” and “exemplary sanctions against these students.”
The Minister of Higher Education, Sylvie Retailleau, visited the site during the day. “It is intolerable and shocking to experience any form of discrimination or incitement to hate,” said the government member.
Political outrage and from the administration
Contacted by Le Figaro, the school’s management denounced “the practices used, which deliberately go beyond the framework of engagement and student life.” The administration “reserves the right to immediately refer certain students to the disciplinary section,” the hierarchy added.
On X, the president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, had herself called on Sciences Po to “strongly react to these incidents that are multiplying.” “The Palestinian cause deserves better […] Read more”
