Paris campus steps in after Argentine residence removes dictatorship plaque
Paris university campus to install dictatorship victims plaque after dispute; Cité Internationale Universitaire will install its own memorial amid concerns over politics and neutrality at Maison de l’Argentine.
The Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, a major network of international student residences in Paris, will install a plaque on Tuesday in tribute to the victims of Argentina’s dictatorship after the Maison de l’Argentine, or Casa de Argentina, removed a similar memorial, the campus foundation’s president, Jean-Marc Sauvé, announced.
The vast university campus in southern Paris hosts around 12,000 students, researchers and artists from 150 nationalities across 47 residences, including the Maison de l’Argentine, otherwise known as the Casa de Argentina, or Argentina House.
However, Casa de Argentina and its director, Santiago Muzio – who was appointed by the government of JPresident avier Milei – are currently under scrutiny from the foundation that manages the campus amid concerns about possible discrimination and alleged political activity.
In February, the Argentine residence removed a plaque installed in 2022 at its entrance that paid tribute to the 30,000 people who disappeared and other victims of state terrorism between 1974 and 1983, according to the Assembly of Argentine Citizens in France (ACAF).
After residents protested, Muzio said the plaque had been removed due to renovation work at the entrance, but did not guarantee that it would be put back, ACAF member José Eduardo Wesfreid, a scientist at France’s CNRS research centre, told AFP.
In response, the Cité Internationale Universitaire foundation decided it would install a similar plaque on campus grounds, turning the memorial into a tribute from the campus community as a whole to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 coup in Argentina.
“We are glad to do it,” France’s Higher Education minister said after approving the installation.
The plaque controversy is not the only source of concern. According to Wesfreid, the Casa de Argentina under Muzio has hosted meetings linked to the European far right, something reported by French newspaper Le Monde in March.
While the Cité Internationale Universitaire is a place for open debate, the foundation’s president stressed that political proselytising and activism have no place there and reminded directors that the tradition of the residences is one of strict neutrality.
Muzio has also refused to sign the campus Values Charter, which prohibits discrimination, including on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.
Founded in 1928, the Casa de Argentina accommodates residents from 18 nationalities across 75 rooms.
Sauvé said there had so far been no confirmed cases of discrimination, but added that if any were identified, affected residents could be moved to other residences and legal action could be taken if necessary.
AFP contacted the Argentina House for comment but had not received a response.
President Milei has questioned the figure of 30,000 disappeared people cited by human rights organisations, instead putting the number at under 9,000 and framing the dictatorship period as a war between the military regime and armed groups.
– TIMES/AFP