University students in Strasbourg on Monday, the anniversary of the Hamas attack against Israel, staged a protest in support of Palestine, blocking the building of the educational institution, reports Agence France Presse. Near the entrance to the building where the humanities faculties are located, they set up barricades, dragging garbage cans and grates. They unfurled banners reading: “Colonization is a crime, resistance is a right,” as well as Palestinian flags. On the building itself they wrote with spray paint: “Year of genocide, year of resistance!”
As the protesters said, they intend to defend “the legitimate Palestinian right to resist by all means,” and also pointed out that France does not respect the international law of resistance.
Later in the day, the students intend to seek a meeting with the university leadership to demand an end to joint study programs with Israeli universities. Last week, protests were also repeatedly organized by students at the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) in Paris. Student protests in support of Palestine have become more frequent in France over the past year . Students protest against Paris' policy of supporting Israel and demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Student protests at the Sorbonne and Sciences Po were repeatedly dispersed by the police. Earlier, the head of the Ile-de-France region, Valerie Pecresse, announced that she would stop all funding for Sciences Po from the region until the protests stop.
Over the weekend, demonstrations in support of Palestine and Lebanon also took place in France amid the crisis in the Middle East. According to media reports, 5,000 people took part in the demonstration in Paris on Saturday, including political figures from left-wing parties, including the founder of the France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who regularly advocates recognition of a Palestinian state.
