Police "kicked away" Gaza peace messages.
3rd May 2024 12:18 PM
Police entered Paris' Sciences Po university on Friday to remove dozens of students staging a pro-Gaza sit-in in the entrance hall, as the protests ignited political debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
One student told reporters that around 50 students were still inside the rue Saint-Guillaume site" when police entered.
He revealed that other protesters had been peacefully brought out in groups of 10 by officers.
Similarly, administrators had closed Sciences Po's main buildings on Friday in response to the sit-in and called for remote classes instead.
They said "around 70 to 80 people" were occupying the foyer of the central Paris building.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's office said such protests would be dealt with using "total rigour", adding that 23 university sites had been evacuated" on Thursday.
Reports have it that students from the university's Palestine Committee had earlier told reporters they faced a "disproportionate" response from police, who had blocked access to the site before moving in.
The students also complained of a lack of "medical assistance" for seven students who had started a hunger strike "in solidarity with Palestinian victims.