A new location has been set. Despite the decision of the University of Lille (North) to no longer authorize a conference around the LFI Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Rima Hassan scheduled for this Thursday because "the serenity of the debates" could no longer be guaranteed, this one will have everything same place.
It will be held this Thursday evening at the “L'Impérial” room located rue d'Arras, a stone's throw from the parliamentary office of LFI deputy Adrien Quatennens, according to a leaflet distributed during Jean-Luc Mélenchon's meeting this Wednesday evening. in Roubaix (North).
The university announced in a press release released at midday on Wednesday that "the conditions are no longer met to guarantee the serenity of the debates", due to the "worrying" rise in international tensions after "the military escalation that took place on April 13 and 14 in the Middle East", in reference to the drone and missile attack launched by Iran against Israel.
An “essential” cancellation according to the right
This conference is organized by the student association “Free Palestine”, whose logo shows a territory encompassing Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Many political leaders, particularly on the right - such as the president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand or the boss of LR Éric Ciotti who denounced a "provocation" which "stirs up a conflict and imports it onto the national territory" - had demanded the cancellation of this attack.
Contacted by Le Parisien, the entourage of the Minister of Higher Education Sylvie Retailleau affirmed “to support the decision” of the University of Lille “on its legal foundations”. There is no question here of political ideas, according to those close to the minister. “Freedom of expression is regulated by law and we do not prohibit an event under the pretext that political ideas are contrary to ours. This would be contrary to the democratic ideas for which we are fighting,” they add.
LFI has made the denunciation of Israeli operations in Gaza one of the main axes of its campaign for the European elections of June 9, defended through meetings and conferences by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon has changed for a long time. I am a Republican, he hasn’t been for years,” reacted this Thursday morning the president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand.