French university rejects Gaza student over ‘hateful’ antisemitic online posts
Screenshots show the woman, identified in French outlets as Nour Atallah, 25, reposted messages calling for the killing of Jews
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A top French university said Wednesday that it had canceled the enrollment of a student from Gaza because of social media posts by her that the country’s interior ministry called “hateful.”
Screenshots from social media indicated the woman, identified in French outlets as Nour Atallah, 25, had reposted messages calling for the killing of Jews. Her accounts appeared to have since been deactivated.
Atallah had been offered a place at the Sciences Po Lille university following a recommendation by the French consulate in Jerusalem, the school said. Following the recommendation by French diplomats, the woman initially lived at the home of the university’s director while she waited for permanent lodgings, Sciences Po said.
But the school said that after consultations with the education ministry and regional authorities, it “decided to cancel this student’s planned registration at our establishment.”
Some of the posts “come into direct contradiction with the values upheld by Sciences Po Lille, which fights against all forms of racism, antisemitism and discrimination, as well as against any type of incitement to hatred, against any population whatsoever,” the university added in a post on X.
The rescission of Atallah’s enrollment came days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country, which is home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, would recognize a Palestinian state in September. The decision, against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, provoked anger among French Jewish leaders as well as Israeli officials, who called it a reward for the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that began the war.
Nour Atalla, une étudiante gazaouie ????????en Master à Science Po Lille soutient des propos hitleriens et fait la promotion de l’antisémitisme.
Comment pouvons nous accueillir ce genre de profils dans l’enseignement supérieur ? @EtiennePeyrat une réaction ? pic.twitter.com/4NtYJSaMIj
— UNI Lille (@unilille_) July 30, 2025
Reports of antisemitism have spiked in France since the October 7 onslaught by Hamas, and a series of Jewish institutions have been attacked.
French leaders have condemned the rise in hate, and the country’s ministers expressed outrage over Atallah’s case.
“A Gazan student making antisemitic remarks has no place in France,” said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who added that he had ordered an internal inquiry.
“The screening carried out by the relevant departments of the ministries concerned clearly did not work,” he added in a post on X.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he had demanded the closure of the “hateful” account and ordered local authorities to take legal action.
“Hamas propagandists have no place in our country,” Retailleau said on X.
The Times of Israel Community.