France has halted all evacuations from Gaza after a scandal involving a student visa rocked its higher education system and exposed deep flaws in its immigration policy. The move follows revelations that a Gazan student, now expelled from Sciences Po Lille, allegedly reposted grotesque antisemitic propaganda on social media, including a Hitler image calling to “Kill the Jews everywhere.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot responded firmly: “No evacuation of any kind will take place until we have drawn the necessary conclusions from this investigation.” He added that the student “must leave the country” and “has no place” in France.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau echoed that sentiment: “Hamas propagandists have no place in our country.” French Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste was even more direct, stating, “France has no obligation to host international students who glorify terrorism, crimes against humanity, or antisemitism.”
The elite university Sciences Po Lille condemned the student’s actions, saying they were in “direct contradiction with the values upheld by Sciences Po Lille.” The student had reportedly entered France under a student visa, prompting questions about the government’s vetting process. Baptiste vowed the case would be “handled with the utmost firmness.”
Meanwhile, President Macron—already under fire for his plan to recognize a Palestinian state—has remained silent. The U.S. has condemned his diplomatic maneuvering, with State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce calling the related UN conference “a publicity stunt” and “a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.”
