Today: 7 October 2025
5 May 2024
1 min read

Macron Condemns Violence in Pro-Palestinian Protests at French Universities

The protesters denounced their university’s stance on the Gaza war and are demanding, among other things, that cooperation with Israeli universities be reconsidered…reports Asian Lite News

 French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised blockades at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at French universities, saying that the tactics went beyond legitimate means of debate and protest.

Macron said he understands that the events in the Gaza Strip, in particular, are upsetting people, “but preventing a debate has never helped resolve the conflict,” according to an interview published on Sunday in the newspapers La Provence and La Tribune Dimanche.

“It is perfectly legitimate and even reasonable and reassuring that our youth can say that international events affect them and discuss them. But using violence and blockades to force an institution to adopt this or that policy, to prevent other students from entering a lecture hall on the pretext that they are Jewish – that is not the Republic,” Macron said.

He said such behaviour does not reflect mutual respect, pluralism and a condemnation of racism and anti-Semitism.

On Friday, police broke up a sit-in by pro-Palestinian students at the renowned Sciences Po University in Paris, at which protesters had blocked entrances to university buildings.

The protesters denounced their university’s stance on the Gaza war and are demanding, among other things, that cooperation with Israeli universities be reconsidered.

The university management’s attempt to put an end to the conflict with a large-scale internal debate failed.

Pro-Palestinian students at other Sciences Po campuses in France and other French universities also recently blocked parts of the universities. Some protesters reportedly made anti-Semitic statements during the demonstrations.

Israel has been heavily bombarding the Gaza Strip from the air and ground for months now in military operations that were launched in retaliation for unprecedented attacks on October 7 led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The October 7 attacks, which included massacres of civilians, left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel.

Israel has faced intense international criticism over the very high number of civilian casualties in Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the besieged territory.

ALSO READ-Macron blasts ‘ineffective’ UK’s Rwanda law

Previous Story

Paytm Expands Leadership Team for Financial Services Growth

Next Story

Step into Fantasy Worlds with Airbnb Icons

Latest from -Top News

OCTOBER 7: Stop the Violence Now, Says Guterres

Guterres recalled that “the attackers brutally killed more than 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals….reports Asian Lite News UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza, Israel, and

Piyush Goyal Heads to Doha for Trade Talks

During the visit, both sides are expected to discuss the proposed India–Qatar Free Trade Agreement (FTA)….reports Asian Lite News Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Doha, Qatar, on

Hamas Heads to Egypt for Gaza Talks

The negotiation will focus on the details of enacting the first phase of the plan…reports Asian Lite News A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of

Multi-alignment, upgraded

With US ties strained and China tense, New Delhi taps Europe’s harder edge for co-development, clean tech and strategic autonomy, writes Manoj Menon India is recalibrating its great-power hedging as frictions with
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Rome Marches For Gaza

The protest, marked by a sea of rainbow, Palestinian, and

Palestinian Prez hosts senior US officials ahead of Biden’s visit

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting in the West