Police break up pro-Palestine protest at French university (VIDEOS)

Activists have occupied Sorbonne lecture halls and blocked the entrance to the prestigious institution

Riot police used tear gas and brute force to break up a pro-Palestine student protest outside the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday. Student demonstrations against the Israeli military operation in Gaza have intensified globally after the IDF conducted its first “limited” ground incursions into the overcrowded border town of Rafah.

Dozens of French police in riot gear cracked down on the demonstration soon after it began on Tuesday afternoon. Forming several ranks with shields up, the officers began to push the protesters away from the street they were blocking in front of Sorbonne.

After some of the protesters pushed back, police resorted to using pepper spray, according to videos of the clashes circulating online. In the footage, at least four officers can be seen spraying tear gas into the crowd over the wall of shields.

Scores of protesters with Palestinian flags gathered at the entrance to the university on Tuesday. They chanted “Free Palestine!” slogans, as well as “Israel, get out! Palestine is not yours!”; “We are all the children of Rafah” and “Ceasefire in Gaza, now!,” according to a video shared by Sputnik.

The protesters also set up a makeshift encampment with tents inside of a Sorbonne lecture hall, according to videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) by independent news site Le Media.