The movement has been embroiled in controversy over the past six months after refusing to label Hamas a “terrorist” organization, instead describing the Oct. 7 attack as a “war crime.”
Sciences Po counts French President Emmanuel Macron among its alumni and is known as a breeding ground for the French political class. A few dozen members of the Unbowed student branch there faced off with activists from UNI, a student union with traditionally strong ties with the conservative Les Républicains party and the Nemesis collective, an Islamophobic far-right group that officially promotes women’s rights.
“Unbowed France and the far-left are corrupting universities,” UNI representative Yvenn Le Coz told reporters.
The anti-Mélenchon students chanted calls to rid universities of “Islamo-leftism” as the opposing activists replied with anti-fascist and anti-Israel slogans.
As Mélenchon made his way toward the university a man confronted him, accusing the 72-year-old politician of being “complicit of Hamas.” The ensuing conference was also briefly interrupted by protesters.
During the event, Mélenchon doubled down on his pro-Palestinian stance, extending his thoughts to people in Gaza “being massacred like objects,” before presenting his latest book, published last year, which calls to action towards a “civic revolution.