Pro-Palestinian students of the University of Political Sciences deny their desire to prevent the Lycra-Liberation meeting from being held

The National Licra Congress, scheduled to take place on Saturday 27 April at the Sciences-Po campus in Reims, has been moved to Amiens City Hall. Sciences Po students blocked the campus, but without intending to block the meeting.

Emergency action. The International League against racism and anti-racism (Licra) that organizes the country, with the 52 National Convention on the theme of immigration in Europe on the campus near the Grand Ecole of Paris, a refuge shelter in the house. from the city.

Students and activists who demonstrated on Friday decided, on Saturday morning, to occupy their campuses to criticize Israel's violations in Gaza and demand sanctions against the Jewish state. The Palestinian flag was hung on the door of the institution, according to photos posted on social media.

Lycra on “By students supported by” LFI elected officials criticize “Methods of annihilating freedom […] unacceptable”. She called in a statement issued today, Saturday “For the active start of the Sciences-Po school administration and the resolute reaction of the public authorities”, Believing so “Extreme anti-Zionism is a vector of anti-Semitism”.

“We wanted to debate with them, but they remained in an ideological position.” Lycra president Mario Stasi expressed his regret to AFP. The municipality indicated in a press release that the discussions were transferred to the Reims Town Hall, stressing that the Mayor of Reims, Arnaud Robinette “Strongly condemns the advance of obscurantism in Sciences-Po.”

In a press release issued on Saturday, April 27, pro-Palestinian students at Sciences-Po Reims University denied their desire to prevent the Lycra meeting: “The action we took […] “It did not voluntarily aim to cancel the programming of any conferences.”, is written in their press release. They say they were not aware until 10 a.m. Saturday that this agreement existed on their premises and claim they vacated the building at 10:30 a.m., specifically to make room for it. “If this conference does not take place, it is neither a desire on our part nor a real impossibility to reach the campus.”concludes the press release.

A tense day at Sciences-Po Paris

This incident in Reims comes after a day of tense pro-Palestinian mobilization on the Sciences Po campus in Paris, which ended with an agreement between the demonstrators and the administration. The situation had calmed down on Friday evening in Paris, as the administration of the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris announced the suspension of disciplinary procedures and the organization of an internal debate next week.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Saturday, April 27, that… “There will be no right to block.” In universities, they are denounced “The heartbreaking scene” The partial occupation of a university campus in Paris by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on Friday, which turned into a tense face-to-face confrontation with other pro-Israel demonstrators.

These movements come in the wake of movements on university campuses in the United States, where students organized demonstrations and sit-ins to demand an end to the war in Gaza and for their institutions to stop all cooperation with Israel.

to update 4pm: With the addition of a press release from the pro-Palestinian students at Sciences-Po Reims.