Since November 5, a group of around one hundred students has been occupying the Pierre-Mendès-France Centre at Tolbiac, in Paris' 13th arrondissement, as part of a protest against the ongoing war in Gaza and to demand the severance of ties between Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne University and two Israeli institutions. The blockade, which continues to disrupt classes and deny access to seminar rooms, has shown no signs of easing, despite the approaching winter break.

The students are calling for an end to the university's partnerships with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, both of which they accuse of supporting Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. One of the protest leaflets distributed on December 19 reads:"We demand an immediate halt to all partnerships with these colonial Israeli universities, especially the Hebrew University, which is situated on illegally occupied Palestinian land, and Tel Aviv University, which has played a key role in developing the Dahiya Doctrine—a military strategy that supports the disproportionate use of force against Palestinian civilians."

The protestors also demand the cessation of the university’s ties with arms manufacturers such as Thales and Safran, companies they claim are complicit in the ongoing violence. These demands are part of a broader movement to draw attention to the human rights violations against Palestinians and to pressure French institutions to distance themselves from entities they believe are enabling the conflict.

While the students have indicated that they will not disrupt upcoming exams scheduled for January 27, they have made it clear that the blockade will resume if their demands are not addressed. The protest continues to attract attention as it challenges the role of universities in maintaining relationships with organisations linked to the Israeli military-industrial complex.

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