First noted that, during the early 1970s, various students at the Paris 8 University were hailing Gaddafi as "the only Third World leader with any real stomach for struggle".
Ruth First juga mengamati bahwa pada awal dasawarsa 1970-an, berbagai mahasiswa di Universitas Paris 8 memuji Gaddafi sebagai "satu-satunya pemimpin Dunia Ketiga yang berani berjuang."