French police break up Gaza war protest at the Sorbonne in Paris

FRANCE 24

April 29, 2024 at 11:20 a.m.·1 min read

Police moved in to clear dozens of protesters who had camped out in a courtyard in Sorbonne University in Paris on Monday to demand an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

About 100 demonstrators took part in the protest near the prestigious university, waving a giant Palestinian flag and chanting slogans in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The demonstration took place three days after protests at the French capital's elite Sciences Po university and as pro-Palestinian rallies sweep college campuses across the United States.

“There were around fifty of us when the police came running into the courtyard,” said Rémi, a 20-year-old student who took part in the Sorbonne protest.

“The evacuation was quite brutal, with around ten people being dragged to the ground, but no arrests were made,” he added.

“We have every reason, like at Yale, Columbia, Sciences Po (...) to condemn what we can see is happening,” said another student, who gave his name as Leonard, outside the university gates.

University authorities said the Sorbonne’s amphitheatres were “evacuated around noon” and the main campus was closed for the afternoon.

Last week, protests broke out at the elite Sciences Po university in Paris, which counts Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal among its many famous alumni.

Protesters have denied accusations of anti-Semitic acts or slogans.

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