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Award-winning author Sally Rooney, Esteemed writer Deborah Levy, Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux, as well as Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen form part of a group of twenty writers urging French president Emmanuel Macron to resume a “lifeline” programme for Gazan authors, scholars and creatives from Gaza.

Initiative Halt Over Alleged Remarks

An emergency support scheme for authors and creatives in emergency situations, as well as a academic rescue effort, were suddenly halted by the French government in early August over a Palestinian student’s reportedly hateful social media posts—a decision that the letter-writing authors described as amounted to a “group penalty”.

“In our capacity as authors, we strongly encourage you to restore this lifeline as soon as possible, and to call on other heads of state to establish comparable initiatives”, says the letter, delivered to Macron’s office recently.

Notable Signatories

Additional supporters comprise Nobel laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and JMG Le Clézio, as well as Anne Enright, Leïla Slimani, Madeleine Thien, Édouard Louis, Isabella Hammad, Didier Eribon, Naomi Klein, Max Porter, Alain Damasio, Mathias Énard, Kapka Kassabova, Karim Kattan plus Rashid Khalidi.

Background of the Programme

This assistance effort was set up by the national authorities in partnership with the Collège de France in 2017 to support international scholars, scientists, intellectuals and artists who find themselves in dangerous conditions. It has since been used French talent visas and practical support for individuals from Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan among other nations.

Impact on Gaza

Following the outbreak of conflict in Gaza in late 2023, a total of 31 Palestinian artists, writers and scholars along with relatives have been sheltered in France through Pause and France’s student evacuation programme.

Government Response

Yet, on August 1st, foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared that “no evacuation of any kind” would proceed while authorities were investigating disputed anti-Jewish comments posted by a female student who had entered the country from Gaza during summer and was due to start attending classes at Sciences Po Lille University this fall.

“The halting of evacuation programmes on the basis of a single incident of a racist social media post is a type of group retribution at a time when all parties bound by the Genocide Conventions should be making every effort to protect Gazans from annihilation and should refuse to be complicit in atrocities”, the appeal to the president says.