France suspends Gaza evacuations over antisemitic posts by student
A criminal inquiry has been launched in Lille against 25-year-old Nour A, a Gaza native who arrived in the country in early July and was set to begin a master's degree at Sciences Po in the northern French city this fall.
The decision to halt all further evacuations was announced on Friday by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
'No evacuation of any kind will take place' until the investigation into the student's background is concluded, Barrot told France Info radio.
He also confirmed that 'discussions (were) under way' regarding her potential return to Gaza. 'She has no place at Sciences Po, nor in France," Barrot added.
The controversy erupted after screenshots circulated online allegedly linking Nour A to a now-deleted X account containing extreme content.
The posts allegedly included calls for the extermination of Jewish people and videos praising World War II Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler.
Barrot acknowledged failures in the screening process that allowed her entry. 'The security checks, carried out by the French services and Israeli authorities, did not detect the antisemitic content,' he said.
In response, he ordered a renewed review of all individuals who had been evacuated to France from Gaza.
On Thursday, the public prosecutor in Lille confirmed the opening of an investigation for 'apology of terrorism, apology of crimes against humanity using an online public communication service.'
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