French students have returned to the streets just one night after riot police were called in to break-up a pro-Palestinian protest at Sciences Po, one of the country’s leading universities.
Over 100 students had staged a sit-in at the university’s Saint Thomas campus demanding that Sciences Po sever ties with pro-Israeli firms and issue “a clear condemnation of Israel’s actions”.
Following in the spirit of the protests erupting around America’s colleges, the students had set up an encampment comprising of around ten tents. Following discussions with the university’s management, several protestors agreed to voluntarily leave. Others, however, remained, prompting the university to call in the police.
According to a police report, fifty students left once police arrived, whilst another seventy were “evacuated calmly”. Tensions, though, have continued to simmer with around 150 students again gathering on Thursday.
"The director has crossed a red line by deciding to send in the police," Ines Fontenelle, a member of the Student Union at Sciences Po, told AFP. “They must take steps to restore a climate of trust." Another member of the Student Union, Elenore Schmitt, pledged that students would continue their protests despite the University’s “repression”.
Following in the spirit of the protests erupting around America’s colleges, the students had set up an encampment comprising of around ten tents. Following discussions with the university’s management, several protestors agreed to voluntarily leave. Others, however, remained, prompting the university to call in the police.
According to a police report, fifty students left once police arrived, whilst another seventy were “evacuated calmly”. Tensions, though, have continued to simmer with around 150 students again gathering on Thursday.
"The director has crossed a red line by deciding to send in the police," Ines Fontenelle, a member of the Student Union at Sciences Po, told AFP. “They must take steps to restore a climate of trust." Another member of the Student Union, Elenore Schmitt, pledged that students would continue their protests despite the University’s “repression”.
Source: AFP
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