Administrative justice decided to authorize a conference with Franco-Palestinian jurist Rima Hassan at Paris-Dauphine University that the establishment’s management had banned, according to an order made public on Saturday May 4.
“There is reason to suspend the execution of the decision of April 22, 2024 and to order Paris-Dauphine University to put an end to the attack on freedom of assembly (…) by allowing the Palestine Dauphine committee to organize the planned conference, either on the date and under the conditions initially planned, or on a date and under the conditions determined between the parties”details this decision of the Paris administrative court seized by two higher education unions, SUD-Education and the FERC-CGT.
The meeting entitled “Acting in the Face of the Threat of Genocide in Gaza” was scheduled for Monday, May 6. Organized by the Palestine Dauphine committee, it was notably to welcome Mme Hassan, candidate for the European elections on the La France insoumise list, who was moved on social networks by this ban.
“@Paris_Dauphine see you soon”wrote Saturday Mme Hassan on in a message accompanied in particular by the Palestinian flag.
Blockages or disruptions
The management of Paris-Dauphine, a Parisian establishment renowned in particular for its teaching in management, finance or economics, had argued the “risk of disturbances to public order” and the need to “guarantee the safety of all” to ban this conference. She further claimed that the theme of the meeting would exceed “the missions of the establishment or would be likely to call into question its neutrality”.
The student movement in favor of the Palestinian cause is igniting public debate although it is essentially confined at this stage to Sciences Po Paris and political studies institutes in the provinces. Several of these establishments have been the subject of high-profile blockages or disruptions in recent days.
The Minister of Higher Education, Sylvie Retailleau, asked university presidents on Thursday to ensure ” preserve the order “ public on their campus. She further requested to ” to guarantee “ there “plurality of expressions” within universities.