Demonstrators gathered at Panthéon-Assas University on Monday May 6 to protest against the holding of a conference around the book “Transmania”, which presents itself as an “investigation into the abuses of transgender identity”.
Some 150 people protested on Monday May 6 in Paris, at the call of associations committed against transphobia, to protest against the organization by the Panthéon-Assas University of a conference with the authors of the controversial book Transmanianoted an AFP journalist.
“Transphobes, get out of our universities!”, “No quarter for fascists!”: the demonstrators were held down by police, deployed in large numbers, several tens of meters from the venue of the conference organized by a far-right student union, in the 13th arrondissement.
A book that “reinforces transphobia”
The gathering was punctuated by tensions upon the arrival of the two authors of the contested book, then some activists from a far-right feminist collective, Némésis, who came to support them. “Get out!” the demonstrators shouted at them.
The organizers of the rally, including Student Solidarity and “Assas in progress”, oppose the promotion of the book Transmania which presents itself as an “investigation into the excesses of transgender identity”. “It’s a book of far-right propaganda. The university authorizes transphobic interventions,” denounced, on condition of anonymity, one of the organizers.
“The speech of the two authors can only reinforce transphobia and increase violence against transgender people,” said Sébastien Tüller, an Amnesty International activist.
Conference organized by a far-right union
The conference in the presence of the two authors, Dora Moutot and Marguerite Stern, who defend themselves against any transphobia, was organized at the initiative of the La Cocarde student union, classified on the far right.
“More than ten CRS trucks to protect our conference (…). This is the state of freedom of expression in our universities,” wrote the union on the social network at the conference, according to La Cocarde student.
Faced with calls to ban the event, the president of the university told AFP that he had decided to maintain it “in the name of freedom of expression”. “Universities are above all places for debate and confrontation of ideas, including when ideas are debatable, or even frankly contestable,” declared Stéphane Braconnier.
