Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for Palestinian flags to be waved in universities from October 8. If the initiative is strongly criticized, it could still have a certain resonance.
The Minister of Higher Education and Research, Patrick Hetzel, called, Friday October 4, for “maintaining order” in universities while this Monday October 7 marked one year since the Hamas attack in Israel. This warning also followed the pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have affected the university environment, notably at Sciences Po Paris, in recent days. The minister insisted on the secular nature of the faculties.
A speech which did not please Jean-Luc Mélenchon who considered that “talking about geopolitics is not an attack on secularism”. The leader of France Insoumise then responded during a political meeting on Friday evening by calling for “putting Palestinian flags wherever we can” from October 8, “so that this person does not have the last word” . He also suggested adding the flag of Lebanon, which is affected by bombings by the Israeli army against Hezbollah. “Put up Lebanese flags, so that the Lebanese know that we have not forgotten them, that we are not abandoning them to the murder and violence of the terrifying neighbor that they have the misfortune to have at their side,” he added.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s words did not go unnoticed. This Monday, they were strongly criticized by François Hollande. The former president said on TF1 that the only flags that can be “worn in public places” are French flags. “The rest is propaganda which has no place in public places, it can have its place in the street to express support for this or that cause”, took offense to the man who is now a deputy for Corrèze. Same story with Raphaël Glucksmann. The boss of Place Publique deplores a “TikTokization of political life”, as he described it on France 2. “The goal of the Insoumis for several days is not that we talk about the situation in Palestine, it “We’re talking about them,” he said.
A continued movement that could reignite tensions?
If this call is singled out, that does not mean that it will have no response. Last May, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had widely mobilized French campuses. The movement resumed this Tuesday, October 1 in front of Sciences Po Paris and in the premises of the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations. The circular from the Minister of Higher Education also caused a reaction among the student community. The Student Union union denounced an “attack” on freedom of expression, assuring “we will not be silent”.
A dynamic also supported by certain professors, such as Nicolas Hervieu, professor of public law at Sciences Po, who recalled that “contrary to what the ministry asserts, university presidents must not only ensure order and “independence. But also to the freedom of expression and assembly of students”, he shared on X.
If the call is well attended, some fear excesses. This is the case of the president of the University of Aix-Marseille, Eric Berton, who judged that it was “dangerous”, and that it risked “importing conflict” into the faculties. “Of course we regret what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon, but Jewish students on our campuses have nothing to do with what is happening there and the university must remain a refuge in this storm,” declared the latter to theAFP.