Israel’s ambassador to Senegal, Yuval Waks, was forced to leave a university campus in Dakar on Tuesday after students protested his presence and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, according to footage circulating on social media.
Waks had been invited to speak at a conference on international relations practices at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), the country’s largest and most prominent higher education institution.
But as he arrived, dozens of students gathered outside the hall, chanting “Free Palestine”, “Free Gaza” and “Israel is a war criminal”.
Videos shared online show students waving Palestinian flags and booing the newly appointed envoy, and preventing him from delivering his speech.
Waks was escorted off by security and left the campus without addressing the audience. Protesters continued to follow him, shouting slogans and waving flags as he departed.
Waks, who also serves as Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and Chad, presented his credentials to Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on May 8.
Once relegated to Israel’s extremist fringe, calls for the expulsion of Palestinians and waging genocidal war against them have gained mainstream appeal.
