Activists have occupied the Sorbonne lecture halls and blocked the entrance to the prestigious school
Paris law enforcement resorted to tear gas and brute force to clear a pro-Palestine student picket outside the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday. Student demonstrations against the Israeli military operation in Gaza have intensified globally as the IDF troops carried out first “limited” ground incursions into the overcrowded border town of Rafah.
Dozens of police in riot gear with batons and shields cracked down on the French student demonstration soon after it began on Tuesday afternoon. Forming several ranks, shields up, they began to pressure the protesters, pushing them back from blocking the street in front of Sorbonne.
After some of the protesters pushed back, police resorted to using pepper spray, according to videos of the clashes circulating online. In the footage, at least four officers can be seen spraying tear gas into the crowd over the wall of shields.
Scores of protesters with Palestinian flags gathered at the entrance to the university on Tuesday. They chanted “Free Palestine!” slogans, as well as “Israel, get out! Palestine is not yours!”; “We are all the children of Rafah” and “Ceasefire in Gaza, now!,” according to a video shared by Sputnik.
The protesters also set up a makeshift encampment with tents inside of a Sorbonne lecture hall, according to videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) by independent news site Le Media.
🔴 LA POLICE INTERVIENT DANS LA #SORBONNE ET SORT DE FORCE LES #ETUDIANTS
L’amphi occupé depuis 18h est évacué par la police #gaza #palestine #StudentJusticeForPalestine #StudentProtests #rafah pic.twitter.com/jJ91NDdPjZ