Paris' Sciences Po university was closed for the day after a debate between the institute's leadership and students on the war in Gaza failed to ease tensions, prompting protesters to occupy it overnight. The elite political sciences university this week became the centre of a wave of protests at several schools in France over the war and academic ties with Israel.

Paris

Sciences Po, a distinguished political sciences university in Paris, has been temporarily closed following a failure to reconcile differences between the institution's leadership and its students over the conflict in Gaza. This closure comes in the wake of a debate aimed at defusing escalating tensions, which instead led to protesters occupying the university overnight. The events at Sciences Po are part of broader protests that have swept across several French schools this week, spotlighting both the war in Gaza and the academic connections with Israel.

At the heart of the protests are students from prominent Parisian institutions, including Sciences Po, École Normale Supérieure, and the Sorbonne. These protests are characterized by a vocal denouncement of the suppression by both university authorities and the French government, accusing them of silencing student voices through force. The demonstrators are advocating for peace and the right to debate freely without facing repression from their educational institutions or the government.

The situation escalated significantly at Sciences Po after a meeting between students and faculty staff failed to reach an agreement. Following the breakdown of discussions, six students initiated a hunger strike in response to the university's interim director's refusal to investigate Sciences Po's partnerships with Israeli universities, a core issue for the protesters. These students assert that some Israeli universities contribute to military research and are demanding that their institutions cut all ties with these establishments.

In response to the occupation of its buildings by protesters, Sciences Po announced it would not open its doors the following day, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. Meanwhile, the French Minister of Education has called on universities across France to preserve order, suggesting that police intervention could be warranted to address such disruptions.



France's Sciences Po university closed over new Gaza protests

From Sciences Po, to École Normale Supérieure, to the Sorbonne, students at elite Parisian universities ramped up their protest movement against the war in Gaza. Surrounded by police in riot gear, they denounced attempts by authorities and by their faculties to silence them by force. Young people today are mobilizing for peace, but also against the repression in universities at Sciences Po and at the Sorbonne. We have a government that would rather repress the youth than allow debate. At Sciences Po, France's top political science school, the situation escalated on Thursday after talks broke down during a meeting between students and faculty staff. Six students went on a hunger strike after the university's interim director refused to investigate the school's partnerships with Israeli universities, one of the protesters' main demands. I was firm on certain points. For instance, I refused the creation of a working group suggested by some students to investigate our relations with Israeli universities and companies which are financial partners. Striking students accused several Israeli universities of doing research for their military and have called on their schools to sever all links with them. Sciences Po, meanwhile, said it would remain closed on Friday due to the occupation of its buildings, while France's education minister urged universities to maintain order, including by calling in the police if needed.

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