Chikli: Activists denying Jews entry to Paris university 'one of worst' events

Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli on Sunday denounced Pro-Palestinian activists allegedly denying entry of Jewish students to a Paris University on Tuesday.

The incident in which Comité Palestine de Sciences Po Paris and other pro-Palestinian activists reportedly refused to allow Jewish students to access Sciences Po University's Émile-Boutmy amphitheater was, according to Chikli, "one of the worst we have seen in recent times."

"What we saw was the screening of Jewish students, to the cheers of a crowd of inflamed students, most of whom undoubtedly don't understand the seriousness of their actions," said Chikli. "Whoever thinks there is a big difference between the denying the rights of Jews to exist for Jewish reasons and denying rights to exist as a nation -- they are wrong and mistaken."

Chikli said that warning signs could not be ignored and reminded how demonization and delegitimization of Jews had previously ended in Europe.

Jewish students blocked at event

Union des Etudiants Juifs de France (UEJF) said on Tuesday that Jewish and Zionist students were blockaded from the Hall, which had been festooned with Palestinian flags during the Comité Palestine's 4 Hours 4 Palestine event, which featured lectures about Palestinian perspectives, refugees, Judaism, and anti-zionism. Pro-Palestinian activists allegedly called for the establishment of a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea."

The university administration said on Wednesday that it contacted prosecutors about a criminal investigation into “antisemitic incidents” while launching its concurrent investigation.

Sciences Po (officially the Paris Institute of Political Studies) said that it was committed to fighting antisemitism and regretted that conflict in the Middle East had strained relations between student communities, detrimenting pluralism of ideas and healthy discourse.

Comité Palestine denied allegations of antisemitism in a Wednesday statement, saying that the far right had unjustly targeted them with baseless accusations to frame them as an antisemitic group.

“No such incident transpired,” the committee said. “No student was prevented from entering the amphitheater because of their religious background. It is unacceptable that the administration, instead of addressing the pressing issue of genocide in Gaza, chooses to deflect blame onto us without any investigation into the matter and despite being present when the events transpired.”

The groups said students, including members of the UEJF, were allowed into the event but that they had denied access to individuals who they said had a history of harassment, intimidation, and posting videos of pro-Palestinian students online without their consent.

18th Paris Constituency deputy Aymeric Caron praised the students for mobilizing against the “ongoing genocide in Gaza.” Former French politician and co-president of the Institut La Boétie think tank Jean-Luc Mélenchon said that a trivial matter had received national attention.

Rising Antisemitism in France

Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé said on Social media on Tuesday that asking people's names and screening them at the entrance to the lecture hall was antisemitism. French National Assembly Deputy Violette Spillebout cited the incident on Thursday as part of a resurgence of antisemitic incidents throughout France as she met with Robert Ejnes, director-general of the Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France (CRIF – Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions).

CRIF President Yonathan Arfi said that the occupation of the lecture hall had replaced critical thinking and debate with violence and hatred and that the atmosphere of antisemitism had to end, or democracy would suffocate. The European Jewish Congress decried the incident as a “blatant act of antisemitism.”

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also condemned the Sciences Po incident in a meeting with Chikli, his office said Saturday night. The Israeli minister praised Darmanin for taking a “strong line in the fight against rising antisemitism in France since October 7.”

Chikli said he shared information with Darmanin on the ties of several BDS organizations with terrorist organizations.

The Diaspora minister also met with former French prime minister Manuel Valls in Paris. Chikli said he was a “brave leader” for his support of Israel against Hamas and of European Jews against rising antisemitism.