Police have broken up a pro-Palestinian student protest at the prestigious Sciences Po university in Paris, with 91 people escorted from the building, police said on Friday.
The operation was calm and without incident, it said. A group of students have been demonstrating for days against their university’s stance on the Gaza war.
The protesters are calling for a commission of inquiry into Sciences Po’s partnerships with several Israeli universities, which they accuse of playing a direct or indirect role in violating the rights of people in the Gaza Strip.
The students accuse Israel of violating international law and committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip amid its ongoing military offensive in the sealed-off Palestinian coastal area triggered by the October 7 attacks.
Students at other Sciences Po campuses in France as well as at other French universities have also staged protests in solidarity with the Palestinians recently, as pro-Palestinian student protests across campuses in the US seem to be spreading overseas.
On Thursday, the Sciences Po management attempted to put an end to the demonstrations by hosting an internal debate.
Afterwards, management said that it wanted to think about how the university should fundamentally position itself on political issues and conflicts and develop corresponding guidelines.
Following the latest protests on Friday, the office of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that strict measures would be taken, according to media reports.
The ongoing Gaza war was triggered by the October 7 attacks on Israel led by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas. Militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted about 250 more to Gaza.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. In view of the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has come under international criticism.
More than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far.