France to PAUSE all evacuations of Palestinian asylum seekers from Gaza pending outcome of anti-semitism investigation
The suspension is pending the outcome of an investigation into how a student accused of sharing antisemitic posts was allowed into the country, the French foreign minister said on Friday.
The move comes after officials said the female student from Gaza will have to leave France after the Sciences Po university in the northern city of Lille revoked her accreditation over the online posts.
'No evacuation of any kind will take place until we have drawn conclusions from this investigation,' Jean-Noel Barrot told French radio.
All Gazans who have entered France through the scheme will undergo a second screening, he added.
France has helped more than 500 people leave Gaza since the latest war, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Sciences Po Lille said that after consultations with the education ministry and regional authorities, it 'has decided to cancel this student's planned registration at our establishment'.
Following the recommendation by French diplomats, the woman initially lived at the home of the university's director while she waited for permanent lodgings, Sciences Po said.
A French diplomatic source said the student arrived in France on July 11 on a scholarship based on 'academic excellence' and after 'security checks'.
Lille's general prosecutor said on Thursday that a judicial probe has been opened against the student for allegedly trying to "justify terrorism" and "justify a crime against humanity".
Screenshots of posts the student allegedly shared in September - published by pro-Israel accounts on X - include an image of Adolf Hitler and words appearing to call for the death of Jews.
The account attributed to the student has been taken offline after French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau demanded it be closed down, describing the post as 'unacceptable and concerning'.
'Hamas propagandists have no place in our country,' he wrote on X.
Mr Barrot confirmed that Palestinians already in France through this scheme will be 'subject to a new check' after 'failures that brought this young woman here'.
'A Gazan student making antisemitic remarks has no place in France,' said Mr Barrot, who added that he had ordered an internal inquiry.
'The screening carried out by the relevant departments of the ministries concerned clearly did not work,' he added in a post on X.
The woman had been offered a place at the Sciences Po Lille university as part of the programme run by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the director of the university told French newspaper Libération.
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