The Lille Institute of Political Studies announced this week that it was canceling the admission of a student from the Gaza Strip after discovering posts on social networks denounced as “hateful,” “antisemitic,” and “an apology for terrorism” and “crimes against humanity.”

The Lille Institute of Political Studies (the Institut d’études politiques de Lille, usually called Sciences Po Lille) is a grande école, a specialized top-level educational institution that operates alongside the mainstream French public university system.

Nour Atalla, 25, arrived in France in February after leaving Gaza. She is accused of having shared content promoting the actions of Hamas. An account in her name posted a message on X, two days after the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, calling for the execution of hostages held by Hamas, specifying that they should be filmed in “high-quality,” and sent to universities and the Western media.