The union s president has admitted the discriminatory practice. Although several politicians and public figures say the union should be dissolved, some have defended it.

Discriminatory practices employed by Unef, the French student union, have provoked general outcry. The organisation s mission is to bring together and help people who fell victim to some form of racism or social exclusion. Their meetings held for those who have suffered discrimination, however, turned out to be non-inclusive, as white students were not allowed to attend them. 

Unef president Melanie Luce admitted in an interview that  the union did follow discriminatory practices. According to  BFMTV reporting on the issue, Unef organises consultations on discrimination once or twice a year, and it has upheld its exclusionary conduct for at least five years.   

Initially, Unef launched single-sex sessions for female students that were so productive that the organisation decided to host single-race meetings. In 2016, Unef clearly signalled its racial preference by supporting an Afro-feminist music festival that had spaces reserved for black women exclusively.

In addition, some members of the organisation have made rather controversial statements. Speaking about the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Hafsa Askar, vice-president of Unef s Lille group, referred to the popular symbol of France using obscene words. Although Unef s leadership distanced itself from the Mr Askar s scandalous remarks, they fell short of condemning his words. Many, however, were outraged by the post. Higher Education Minister Frederique Vidal tweeted that the centuries-old cathedral was part of the common destiny and history of the French people, calling for respect and tolerance to prevail in the face of futile controversies and outrageous comments.

This incomprehensible and unacceptable example of discrimination has been noticed by several well-known politicians and public figures.

Eric Ciotti, a right-wing spokesman for the Alpes-Maritimes in southern France, wrote in a furious tweet that the students union has divided French society. He then addressed the interior minister and stated that the option of dissolving the organisation clearly arose. He added that all forms of hate must be fought in the same way.

Renowned French essayist Eric Zemmour also weighed in on the issue. He addressed Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter, saying if there was any consistency in the minister s actions, he would dissolve Unef, just as he had dissolved the right-wing activist group Generation Identitaire, albeit for much less.

However, not all politicians have condemned Unef s discriminatory practices. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the head of the left-wing La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, stood by Unef and called on others to defend the union.