Students from universities across Paris are expected to rally Friday afternoon in support of Palestinian people in Gaza. The protest is scheduled to be held outside the Pantheon, a French national Monument in a district housing some of Paris’ most prestigious universities, including the Sorbonne.
Dozens of students started a sit-in inside Paris’ Sciences Po late Thursday, prompting the university to close its Paris campus Friday, according to a school spokesman. Paris riot police are expected to evacuate the university in the coming hours.
A key demand of some protestors has been the breaking of ties with universities in Israel, which has so far been resisted by university authorities. Students are also demanding that French universities condemn Israel.
The protests have not snowballed into a broader national movement, but pockets of protests have been seen at campuses across the country. An attempted occupation at the Sorbonne University was ended by police this week.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal last Saturday described the occupation at Sciences Po as a “distressing and shocking spectacle.”
