“Then what do we do? A minute of silence as a tribute to Samuel Paty?” : a professor threatened with death, her colleagues walk out

The threat too much? Thursday, November 14, teachers at a high school in Libourne (Gironde) walked off the job. The reason? A death threat letter to a teacher slipped under her door. She had already been the target of two letters, one in December 2023 where the author threatened to “cut her throat like a pig”, as well as “all the bad guys” at the high school”, then another last September.

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A teacher from Libourne again targeted by death threats: the letter was discovered in a classroom

“The situation is taken very seriously and is the subject of a complaint. The facts are strongly condemned by the rector who will speak with the professor,” the Bordeaux academy told AFP. “We want to show our support and solidarity to our colleague,” testified Frédéric Bardy, mathematics and science teacher in this establishment of 800 students.

“Then what do we do? A minute of silence as a tribute to Samuel Paty?”

“He is someone empathetic, loved by his students and who refuses to leave the high school. The colleagues are all shocked,” added this CGT unionist. In December 2023, half of the establishment's teachers had already exercised their right of withdrawal for several days. The high school management then filed a complaint and the rectorate set up regular visits by the police around the establishment, a mobile security team and a listening cell.

“The situation continues to be monitored very carefully. The teacher will once again be the beneficiary of functional protection,” adds the rectorate, which plans to put these last two systems back in place. Measures deemed insufficient by the unions who are calling for “two additional supervisors” and a lasting presence of security guards. “We had been discreet in September at the request of our colleague. But now, that is no longer possible. We don't know if it could be a bad joke to stop classes but we have to take it very seriously. Afterwards we What does it do? A minute of silence as a tribute to Samuel Paty?” says the teacher representing the CGT. Classes are expected to resume on Friday.