A Gaza student will be deported from France following outrage over alleged anti-semitic content she reposted on social media, French Foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday.
The government has also announced a suspension of all evacuations from Gaza pending an investigation into the matter.
“She must leave the country. She does not have a place in France,” Barrot told France Info radio, without confirming whether the student would be sent directly to Gaza.
The woman, whose identity has not been made public, was also expelled from Sciences Po Lille, a university in northern France, after her online activity was deemed incompatible with the institution’s values. Her case has fuelled a national political row, with the interior minister accusing her of promoting “Hamas propaganda.”
Barrot said the student had passed both French and Israeli security vetting before entering France, and that her "anti-semitic and unacceptable" social media activity had not been flagged during those checks.
He confirmed that all French-led evacuations from Gaza would now be paused while authorities carry out an inquiry, CNN reported.
Since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7 2023, France has helped evacuate hundreds of individuals from the Gaza Strip.
Just days earlier, Barrot had stated that France was “dedicating lots of energy” to rescue starving journalists from AFP, the French news agency, trapped in the enclave. It remains unclear whether those efforts will resume.
While condemning the student’s actions, Barrot also stressed the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, calling the situation “inhumane” and “a scandal that must stop immediately.”
Sciences Po Lille did not specify which posts triggered the backlash but said the student's remarks ran “in direct contradiction” to the institution's principles.
“(Sciences Po Lille) fights against all forms of racism, anti-semitism, and discrimination, as well as against any type of call to hatred, against any population whatsoever,” the university posted on social media platform X on Wednesday. It said the decision to revoke the student’s enrolment was taken in consultation with the ministry of higher education and research, as per CNN.
Education minister Philippe Baptiste described the student’s alleged comments as “extreme” and supported calls for her removal from France.
“France does not have to welcome international students who advocate for terrorism, crimes against humanity, and anti-semitism. Whether they come from Gaza or elsewhere, international students holding or relaying such statements have no place in our country,” he posted on X.
Other senior ministers have also condemned the student's social media activity, which has now been referred to the judiciary.
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