Accused in a French court of glorifying terrorism for analyzing Palestinian voices on Twitter/X, François Burgat, a distinguished political scientist, was acquitted last year. But the public prosecutor and the plaintiffs have appealed this court decision, and the case will be retried on April 29, 2026 in Aix-en-Provence. 

François Burgat, an internationally acclaimed specialist of the Middle East and emeritus senior researcher at CNRS, was accused last year by the French police of praising Hamas on Twitter/X. Burgat's tweets were either retweets of Hamas communiqués or reprints of analyses he had published years ago in an academic publication. On April 24, 2025, the French public prosecutor requested an eight months suspended sentence, a 4,000 euros fine, a two year ineligibility, and a ban from social media. On May 28, 2025, the court decided that Burgat had merely exercised his freedom of speech, and acquitted him of all charges. 

François Burgat is now dragged in front of the court of appeal by the public prosecutor and the plaintiffs, including the European Jewish Organization (OJE) and the International League against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA). This is deeply concerning. Continuous legal action against a respected scholar for exercising his academic freedom is a chilling reminder of how basic rights are being stifled in France today. By signing this petition, we express our support to François Burgat and we call for academic freedom and freedom of speech to be upheld against political repression. We also urge colleagues and academic institutions to stand together in support of the Palestinian people.