Le Figaro Nice
The account is now private and therefore hidden. On the Instagram page "Sciences Palestine", managed by seven students from the relocated campus of Sciences Po Paris in Menton (Alpes-Maritimes), posts provoked the ire of a local elected official. The National Rally MP for the constituency concerned (4th), Alexandra Masson, "implacably condemned" these actions and "demanded immediate measures to protect the university". In a letter, the parliamentarian called on the director of the establishment, Youssef Halaoua, who has been in office since September.
After the Hamas attacks in Israel, which plunged the country into chaos and the international community into shock, young "scientists" from Menton have given their support to what they call "Palestinian resistance fighters from the Gaza Strip". In the same publication, seen by Le Figaro, they explain that "this is not a war between two equal powers, but a struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed, between the colonizer and the colonized."
The leaders of this student group appear to legitimize the actions carried out by Hamas. "Oppressed peoples always seek freedom, and when all else fails, they turn to violence," they write, while demanding "accountability from the Israeli government for its gross human rights violations and war crimes." For them, "the Palestinians are the victims." Before concluding their post with an appeal: "We must continue to boycott, de-empower and sanction Israel," they say.
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New controversy
For MP Alexandra Masson, a member of the France-Israel friendship group in the National Assembly, "these messages are an apology for terrorism." "I consider these statements to be a serious threat due to their potentially dangerous nature, but also their impact on the security and integrity of the educational environment," she said in a statement released to the press.
This collective - which is not an association recognized by Sciences Po, the institution specifies - is not at its first controversy. At the end of August 2022, these activists wanted to organise a demonstration on the forecourt of the Allianz Riviera stadium in connection with the European Cup football match between OGC Nice and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. The aim of "Sciences Palestine" was, again, to denounce "Israel's apartheid of the Palestinian people". Local politicians - including Éric Ciotti, Christian Estrosi and the mayor of Menton, Yves Juhel - had stepped up to the plate to prevent the demonstration from taking place. In the end, it was cancelled. The Maralpine prefecture had also banned all gatherings.
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Legal analysis
Around the Côte d'Azur campus, however, students have already shown their support for Palestine in the past, while wearing the colours of the New Popular, Ecological and Social Union (Nupes). Contacted by Le Figaro, the management of Sciences Po hammered home the "unreserved" position of its director, Mathias Vicherat, to "condemn the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas in Israel". And reminds us that a moment of reflection will be held on Friday on all Sciences Po sites. Regarding this situation in Menton, she specifies that "a legal analysis is underway" of the various statements. "Any illegal posts or actions will be removed without delay and may be subject to sanctions," it added.
According to our information, the authors of these publications were summoned on Tuesday morning by the director of the campus. They reportedly expressed "regret at the turn of events". If appeasement is hoped, despite a political context still omnipresent in these institutions, another student, a member of the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF), was moved by the current atmosphere on campus. "We have a lot of students from Menton who are going to post content that justifies terrorism in Israel," she told Europe 1 radio. I was in a class this morning where terrorism was justified, once again, by saying that Israel has done much worse and calling it resistance!" When contacted, the UEJF confirmed this type of feedback to Le Figaro. And not only in Menton.