Similar protests at universities in the US have been broken up by law enforcement and faced suppression.
Around 100 students have protested in support of Palestine near the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris.
Taking their cue from the university campus protest movement across the United States, students in Paris chanted slogans in support of Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel’s continued offensive.
“I’m inspired by the students in Columbia, in Harvard and in MIT that are very strong and that are saying they want to fight for justice and for the peace in Palestine but also for the liberation of Palestine and I’m proud of them,” said Sorbonne University student Lorelia Frejo.
“Even though they are very repressed and we see that the police is trying to kill the movement by arresting a lot of people.”
Last week, protests broke out at another elite university in the French capital, the Paris Institute of Sciences Po.
Tensions spiked on campus as pro-Palestinian students inspired by Gaza solidarity encampments at campuses in the US tried to occupy an amphitheatre.
That led to a face-off on Friday between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators.
Riot police stepped in to separate the opposing groups but the protest ended peacefully when students agreed to evacuate the building late on Friday.
Student defiance
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in New York, students at Columbia University have defied a deadline set by officials to break up their encampment and end the protests or face disciplinary action.
The university’s president said on Monday talks with student organisers had failed to reach an agreement, with officials rejecting calls for the university to divest financial holdings tied to Israel – a core demand of the protesters.
“While the administration offered us a timeline for review of divestment proposals, they refused to give us any commitment that the ultimate decision would be binding,” said student organiser Sueda Polat.
So far, no officials have tried to enter the protest area on the university’s main lawn or break up the encampment.
“We will not be moved by this intimidation tactics. You can see outside you now that the students are mobilised. There’s hundreds of them here today. They will not be moved,” Sueda Polat said.
“We’d like to reiterate that our presence on this encampment was never a security risk. In fact, it bonded members of the Columbia community in unprecedented ways on this campus.”
The campus protest movement ignited at Columbia two weeks ago when police tried to break up a small group of protesters who had pitched tents.
That sparked a wave of solidarity protests across the US, with similar demonstrations taking place on campuses in at least 22 states.
