Tributes to Dominique Bernard and Samuel Paty: “119 incidents” recorded, indicates Anne Genetet on TF1

A minute of silence in all middle and high schools in France. This is what was organized on Monday October 14 in France, four years after the death of Samuel Paty, professor of history and geography in a college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines), killed for having shown caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed to his students, and a year after the death of Dominique Bernard, a French teacher stabbed in Arras (Pas-de-Calais) by a radicalized Islamist former student.

Guest of Adrien Gindre in “Bonjour! La matinale TF1”, Anne Genetet, Minister of National Education, announced that “119 incidents” had been recorded on Wednesday by his services during these tributes. A provisional report showed 78 incidents.

In 2023, more than 280 incidents had been recorded on this occasion. “Each of these incidents will result in a disciplinary sanction and for the most serious cases, there will be a report to the public prosecutor”, guaranteed the minister on our antenna. “It’s very important, we cannot leave these attacks to the moment of contemplation which are very important”she added.

“From simple heckling to unacceptable comments”

What are the nature of the incidents? “It goes from simple heckling (…) to unacceptable comments, behavior, with comments which are a sort of apology for terrorism, it is unacceptable, it is illegal,” commented Anne Genetet.

For certain students, the sanction could be exclusion, which will be decided by the disciplinary councils in the coming days.

What about attacks on secularism in the school environment?

Questioned by Adrien Gindre on attacks on secularism in the educational environment, the minister also mentions a “improvement because a certain number of measures have been put in place”.

“At the start of the school year, in September 2024, the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols had decreased drastically. There were around a hundred cases compared to more than 800 last year. This is also the result of the ban of wearing the abaya and the qamis which was a good thing, a good decision by Gabriel Attal, Minister of National Education at the time”greeted the minister.

This one pointed “other attacks on secularism” like the “teaching challenges which may progress slightly”. “I wouldn’t accept that.” she assured.

And to conclude:“We must all support our teachers who, with determination and commitment, defend secularism, defend freedom of expression, defend the values ​​of the Republic.”