Sciences Po’s Response to Protests: Why Forming a Working Group with Israeli Universities was Not the Answer

Arancha Gonzalez, the head of Sciences Po’s School of International Affairs, emphasized the importance of maintaining connections between universities and stressed that the university already has procedures in place to evaluate partnerships. In a press briefing on Thursday, Jean Basseres, interim director of Paris’ Sciences Po university, announced that the university would not be forming a working group to evaluate its relationships with Israeli universities. This decision followed a town hall meeting with students and staff that was one of the conditions set by students last week to temporarily halt their protests over the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Despite the protests in France and other European countries, the scale of the demonstrations has not reached the same level as those in the United States. French police recently intervened to dismantle tents set up by protesters in the courtyard of Sorbonne University in Paris. The situation remains dynamic, with ongoing discussions and actions taking place on campuses in response to the conflict in the Middle East. Many protesters were advocating for the university to sever all ties with Israel, and Basseres acknowledged that refusing to form a working group could provoke further anger among demonstrators. He urged everyone to act responsibly and allow exams to proceed as scheduled.

The prestigious political sciences university plans to facilitate internal discussions on significant issues in