A faculty principal in France resigned from his place after receiving loss of life threats following an argument he had with a Muslim woman over the elimination of her scarf, as required by legislation. His resignation induced a terrific uproar within the nation, the place Islamist threats to instructional establishments have already led to the homicide of two academics in recent times.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attel mentioned the nation would sue the woman for mendacity and claiming the principal attacked her in the course of the argument, which led to threats towards him on social media.
“I’ve lastly made the choice to resign from my place as a result of issues for my security and that of this establishment,” the principal wrote in an e mail he despatched final Friday to his colleagues on the Maurice Ravel highschool within the twentieth arrondissement of Paris. The instructor’s identify has not been disclosed to the general public for defense.
“I am leaving after seven years, wealthy and intense, that I spent by your aspect and after 45 years in public schooling,” added the principal, who thanked his colleagues for the assist they confirmed him during the last three weeks.
The incident occurred on February 28, when the principal informed three feminine college students to obey the legislation and take away their head coverings. Two of them complied along with his directions, however the third didn’t. Within the following days, the principal acquired loss of life threats on social media, which the college forwarded to the Inside Ministry‘s hotline.
The authorities arrested two suspects in reference to the threats. Their identities stay undisclosed, however the Training Ministry mentioned they’re unaffiliated with the college. As a result of issues about violence from extremist parts, the police started patrolling across the instructional establishment, and the Training Minister, Nicole Belloubet, visited it.
Police found no proof of assault
The police discovered no proof that the principal attacked the woman, and the Prime Minister promised that she would stand trial for false accusations.
“The state will all the time stand by these public figures, those that are on the forefront of the battle towards such assaults on secularism, towards makes an attempt by Islamism to infiltrate our academic establishments,” mentioned Attal, who led the ban on the carrying of the burqa in instructional establishments whereas serving as Training Minister final 12 months.
The incident was condemned by politicians from the proper and the left, a number of months earlier than the European Parliament elections, by which the difficulty of immigration will likely be a major focus.
“This authorities isn’t able to defending our colleges,” Marine Le Pen, chief of the far-right “Nationwide Union” occasion, wrote on X. Her niece, Marion Maréchal, a member of a rival far-right occasion, mentioned, “This can be a defeat for the nation, and the Islamist agenda continues to unfold.”
“That is the place you find yourself when your coverage is ‘to not fire up a storm’. That is the place all these small concessions lead,” mentioned Bruno Retailleau, from the center-right “Republicans” occasion.
“That is unacceptable. When a supervisor resigns due to threats to his life, it’s a collective failure,” mentioned Boris Vallaud from the Socialist Celebration.
In the meantime, a number of colleges in Paris closed their gates Wednesday after receiving bomb threats allegedly from Islamist parts. French authorities haven’t dominated out that these are a part of a Russian disinformation marketing campaign. Final week, about 30 different colleges within the Paris space acquired comparable threats, accompanied by a video of a beheading, recalling the homicide of instructor Samuel Paty in a Paris suburb in 2020.
Prime Minister Attal warned in early March that the Kremlin had begun a “large operation to destabilize” France to erode its assist for Ukraine.
