Student Activists Rally for Palestine at Sciences Po, Call for Accountability and Justice

On a Thursday afternoon, a group of pro-Palestinian students in Paris decided to occupy a new building at Sciences Po, following similar protests that had taken place at American universities. The students gathered peacefully outside the school building, chanting slogans in support of Palestine and demanding that Sciences Po publicly condemn Israel’s actions and end collaborations with institutions complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Inside the building, between 50 and 70 students were present according to activists from the Palestine Sciences Po committee. They called for an end to the repression of pro-Palestinian voices on campus and demanded accountability and justice for the Palestinian people. The occupation continued into the next day, with around twenty students outside the building and a dozen still inside. The police were not present as of the morning, and the entrance doors were locked, with no classes scheduled for the day.

Political figures like Jean-Luc Mélenchon expressed admiration for the students’ actions and their resistance in the face of potential pressure and brutality. The student movement for Palestine is spreading to other universities, as seen in a similar occupation at a different campus in the city. The activists are connected with global solidarity movements, including those at American universities. They are determined to make their voices heard and demand accountability and justice for the Palestinian people.