Last Saturday, September 21, Philippine’s body was found not far from Paris-Dauphine University, her establishment. Sunday evening, all Dauphinois students received the information by e-mail from management. The time is then for meditation. The university’s social networks communicate, from Monday 23, in a manner “sober and dignified”according to Luc Fournial, student vice-president and president of the Unef union in Dauphine. The first tributes, in agreement with the family, are organized.
Philippine’s classmates, within her double degree, decide to pay tribute to her with a minute of silence. The president of the university gives a speech. “A lot of students were there, it was crowded”adds Luc Fournial. A memorial is installed with a notebook in which students can write their thoughts, concerns and remember Philippine, whose disappearance remains, to this day, shrouded in mystery. The unity of the Dauphinois would not last, however. On Tuesday September 24, France learned that Philippine was killed by a Moroccan under the influence of an OQTF. And everything changes.
Wednesday September 25
The call for a demonstration by the feminist identity collective Némésis in tribute to Philippine – who will be the only one – is published by the collective on its own networks. A Dauphinoise, Aliénor, then decides to contact the various student unions of the university to “share information”. Let us point out that Aliénor is not enrolled in a student union at that time, nor in Némésis. Via a private message on Instagram, Unef asks him for more information on the event to share.
After understanding that it was a gathering organized by Nemesis, the union left Eleanor’s following messages unanswered. The student then decides to speak about the event to the UNI union, in person. But the UNI also chooses not to communicate about this event. The president of UNI Dauphine Germain Kuen justifies this decision as follows: “We are not used to relaying external events, but we could have done so. »
At the same time, a former student of Dauphine, Stanislas, who was enrolled at UNI during his student years, shared the official poster of the collective’s demonstration – where the name Némésis is not written – on the Facebook group ” Promo Dauphine 2024-2025” which brings together 4,300 people. Seven moderators manage the group: two representatives of Unef, two others for Esprit Dauphine, a union which calls itself “apolitical”, two members of the UNI, and finally Luc Fournial. The post remained online for approximately two hours before it was deleted. Stanislas then begins to receive private messages from students that he does not “don’t know” assimilating it to a “racist”. “Nemesis, it’s just racists who carry a disgusting political project” or even “it’s a collective of white supremacists” could he also read. “The messages were very aggressive, but hey, I’m used to it” he confides.
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Thursday September 26
Eleanor, “distraught” by the refusal of the unions to publish the information of this gathering planned for September 29, then decides to contact the project manager to the general director of services who admits to being “shocked” of the response of the unions, but that “we cannot force communication on the subject”. He reassures her by assuring her that he wants “find a solution” and advises him to join the Facebook group to communicate about the event planned for September 29.
Friday September 27
The request to join Aliénor’s Facebook group is granted. The student then writes a first post publishing the poster of the rally. “My goal was in no way to politicize the disappearance of Philippine, but to inform Dauphine students of the only gathering organized in the capital in her tribute” she says.
Saturday September 28
When she wakes up, Eleanor notices that her post has also been deleted. She then checks the description of the group — serving as a charter — in which it is specified that “members agree not to post or comment on content that is offensive from a racist, violent, sexist, sexual, gender identity or religious point of view”. Sure that her post did not fall into this category, she decided to publish it a second time by adding in the text “My post seems to have been deleted (tribute and respect please)”. The post is deleted again.
These deletions were made by Luc Fournial, who justifies his decision to the JDD. “There was a problem of transparency, the name Nemesis was not specified. However, the charter prohibits the presence of discriminatory content. We considered that broadcasting an appeal organized by a far-right collective which makes discriminatory speeches of a racist nature by stigmatizing people of foreign origin fell within this qualifier. Furthermore, how can we support this gathering when the family did not support it? » Philippine’s family did not speak out for or against this gathering.
Around 8 p.m., Eleanor decides to publish a third post which will not be deleted. She specifies “2 deletions in 48 hours? Aren’t you ashamed to censor someone who is simply calling for tribute to an innocent young soul of 19 years old? ». The comments are pouring out. “This gathering organized by the racist and fascist collective which claims to be feminist is in no way a means of paying tribute to this tragedy. This is a hideous political recovery. The deletion of these messages is not a “shame” but a rejection of all these attempts to recover tragic events”.
Eleanor then responds: “My post was for informational purposes. Each student is free to choose whether or not to go there. Why not trust the free will of each of us? Why pretend to carry an ideological fight or higher values? ». Aliénor complains to the JDD about the moderators who seem to change the rules as the discussions progress. Luc Fournial defends himself by specifying that despite private discussions on this subject, “the charter has not been modified”. In the comments, UNI Dauphine chooses to support Aliénor: “Absolutely nothing was problematic in your post. Those who censored it, on the other hand, are part of the problem. It is not only freedom of expression, but above all a way for many to pay tribute to Philippine, they must respect it. Thank you for your initiative”.
Sunday September 29
Before the gathering, Eleanor receives a message from a student. She says she wants to go to the demonstration, but is afraid of going alone. Eleanor agrees to accompany him. That same day, Aliénor received a message from “La Vie Studente” specifying that “the Promo Dauphine group is a space for freedom of expression” and that it is made so that everyone has a voice.
At this point, a meeting between the moderators of the Facebook group as well as the president and vice-president of Student Life Training was to be organized on October 4 to discuss moderation issues. It will finally be postponed to October 11.
Thursday October 3
Aliénor decides to speak to the vice-president of Student Life Training* and believes that the seriousness of the situation is “underestimated” by the Dauphine administration. She complains about « censure ». He is told that the Némésis collective is a collective ” controversial “ and asking her if she went to the gathering.
Friday October 4
These events occur in a particular context for student unions. The elections for the presidency of Student Life will take place on November 6 and 7. Applications for the lists will close on October 21. This Friday, October 4, students will receive a press release by email from Dauphine Ensemble, a “emanation of Unef” cellon Germain Kuen.
Dauphine Ensemble press release dated October 4.
© Screenshot of an email from a Dauphine student.
Thursday October 10
In a clarifying post on the Esprit Dauphine Instagram account, this fourth student union assumes censorship of these posts. We can read there “we know that we cannot contain the extreme right by simple censorship but by solid arguments and discussion”. One comment accuses the union of “admission of responsibility and desire for censorship” and reminds that this post was published on Philippine’s birthday “illustrating political obstinacy” of the union.
Friday October 11
A meeting bringing together the moderators of Promo Dauphine, Luc Fournial and the vice-president of Student Life Training was held on the morning of October 11. “We did not agree on the shared diagnosis” says Germain Kuen, the president of UNI Dauphine who attended. “Today, this group which should be a space of freedom of expression is no longer so. Students are insulted. The governance of Dauphine is a spectator of events and the seriousness of this censorship is not yet understood”. Germain Kuen recalls that many students are shocked by this situation and that his union is very worried about the climate which reigns at the university and even likens Dauphine to a « futur Sciences Po ».
A future meeting on moderation rules and freedom of expression must be organized. The date has not yet been specified. Aliénor received numerous messages of support from students, including one specifying “not agreeing with the ideas of the Némésis collective, but being against censorship”. She wishes to continue to denounce an active minority against a silent majority that we “ suffocates”, particularly with the administration of Dauphine which “remain passive”. However, these numerous quarrels obscure the essential: just yesterday, Philippine was never 20 years old.
*The vice-president of Student Life Training redirected the JDD to the university press agency which has, to date, not responded to our request.
