The revolt came from the teaching staff, joined by some parents of students. In a letter addressed to the Savoie departmental council, the teachers of the Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines college indicated their clear and categorical refusal to see their establishment named after Robert Badinter.
The reason ? This name is not “evocative” enough, they argue, according to The Dauphiné Libéré who reported this story on Friday. The students simply “don’t know” him. There is even a risk that they will cause some confusion.
“The name Badinter unfortunately risks for some students to evoke a little too much the name of their favorite supermarket…” located near the establishment, underline the teachers who would have preferred a name linked to the “natural environment” like that of a mountain range.
“Awkward communication”
The article spread like wildfire on social media over the weekend, quickly sparking controversy. “The teachers are quite devastated to see the extent that it has taken,” indicated the departmental co-secretary of the SNES FSU of Savoie Marlène Tasset, contacted by Marianne. That wasn’t the goal at all! “. If she assures that the teachers “had nothing against the name of Robert Badinter”, the Grenoble rectorate evokes “clumsy communication”.
Still, the establishment should bear the name of the former Minister of Justice who abolished the death penalty in 1981. On Monday, the president of the board of directors of the college issued a press release in which he specified that “the designation of the name therefore follows its course, with this beautiful and great figure of France”.
