The "Sciences Po" Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Lille, France, on May 2, 2024. SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP
A Palestinian student from Gaza suspected of posting "hateful" anti-Semitic messages, which led to her losing her place in a French university, is being investigated and will have to leave France, officials said on Thursday, July 31.
France's prestigious Sciences Po university in the northern city of Lille canceled the student's accreditation on Wednesday. On Thursday, Lille's chief prosecutor, Carole Etienne, told AFP a probe had been opened against the student for allegedly trying to "justify terrorism" and "justify a crime against humanity." A French diplomatic source said that, given those developments, the student "should now leave (French) national territory as soon as possible."
Screenshots of posts the student allegedly shared in September – published by pro-Israel accounts on X, formerly Twitter – include an image of Adolf Hitler and words appearing to call for the death of Jews. The account attributed to the student has been taken offline, after French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau demanded it be closed down. Retailleau said that "Hamas propagandists" should not be in the country, referring to the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza.
