Overview

• Nour Attaalah left France on August 3 after the foreign ministry deemed her deleted social media posts calling for violence against Jews incompatible with her student visa and scholarship.
• Sciences Po Lille immediately revoked Attaalah’s enrollment and the Lille public prosecutor opened investigations for apologie du terrorisme and apologie de crime contre l’humanité upon confirming the posts.
• On August 1, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced a freeze on all Gaza student evacuation programs as authorities probe how extremist content bypassed pre-entry security checks.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered a comprehensive re-verification of all Gazan students admitted since October 2023 to address identified vetting gaps.
• The affair has ignited broader scrutiny of France’s diplomatic and academic evacuation initiatives as officials seek to balance educational outreach with national security imperatives.