French police remove pro-Palestinian students at Sorbonne
Some 100 demonstrators set up 50 tents at prestigious French university, say protests were peaceful before police entered and made arrests
PARIS — French police removed dozens of students from the Sorbonne university after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the main courtyard of the institution in Paris on Monday.
About 50 protesters set up tents at midday Monday at the Sorbonne university courtyard in support of Palestinians, echoing similar encampments and solidarity demonstrations across the United States.
Protesters unveiled a giant Palestinian flag and chanted slogans in support of Palestinians in Gaza, as Israel continues its military operation following the October 7 Hamas attacks that triggered the ongoing war. Police entered the university grounds in the early afternoon and removed them.
About 100 demonstrators took part in the protest near the prestigious university amid heavy police presence that were also guarding the university entrance to prevent students from setting up camp inside again.
Lorelia Frejo, a graduate student at the Sorbonne who joined a protest outside the university, said police used force to remove her peers from the courtyard. “They were peaceful and police took them out with no explanation,” Frejo said. But students, inspired by the protests at New York’s Columbia University, will remain steadfast despite police pressure, she added.
“They [Columbia protesters] are very strong and want to fight for justice and for peace in Palestine,” Frejo said.
“We set up tents… like in several US universities,” Louis Maziere, another Sorbonne student, said. “We’re doing all we can to raise awareness about what is happening in Palestine, about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
“Police then came running in, brought down tents, grabbed students by the collar and dragged them on the ground, that’s not OK… We’re quite shocked,” he said.
Fellow student Lou said: “What we’re pushing for is peace and they answer with force and violence.”
BFM TV showed footage of police dragging a couple of students out.
???? VIOLENTES INTERPELLATIONS A LA SORBONNE
La police est entrain d'interpeller violemment les étudiant·e·s qui avaient installé un campement dans la cour de la Sorbonne à l'appel de Columbia et Sciences Po, en soutien avec ????????. Cette répression est inacceptable ! pic.twitter.com/1dVHDGNTDP
— Révolution Permanente (@RevPermanente) April 29, 2024
A police source confirmed they had intervened to clear out the Sorbonne’s courtyard.
“This operation, which lasted only a few minutes, was carried out peacefully without incident,” the source said, declining to respond to questions on how the students had been removed.
The Sorbonne occupies a unique place at the heart of French public and intellectual life. Last week, President Emmanuel Macron chose it as the venue to deliver a speech on his vision of Europe ahead of elections for the European Parliament in June.
Last week protests broke out at another elite university in the French capital region, the Paris Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po, which counts Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal among its many famous alumni.
Tensions had broken out on campus as pro-Palestinian students inspired by Gaza solidarity encampments at campuses in the United States sought to occupy an amphitheater.
On Friday, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators faced each other in a tense standoff in the street outside the school. Riot police stepped in to separate the opposing groups.
The protest ended peacefully when students agreed to evacuate the building late on Friday. The head of Sciences Po said an agreement with students had been reached.
Several French politicians, including Mathilde Panot who heads the hard-left LFI group of lawmakers in the National Assembly, have urged supporters on social media to join the Sorbonne protests.
