French Teacher Assaulted by Muslim Student
11th October 2024
The French school hierarchy’s inability to combat militant Islamism was once again made obvious when a teacher was slapped by a Muslim student after asking her to remove her veil, worn in violation of French law.
The incident took place on Monday, October 7th. A student in her final year of secondary school, aged 18, put on her headscarf as she was preparing to leave the school at 4:30 p.m. The wearing of religious insignia is normally prohibited on the premises of a state secondary school. According to the initial investigation, a teacher approached the girl and asked her to remove her headscarf. The student responded to the request with insults, while continuing towards the exit. The teacher then caught up with her and asked for her identity, while preventing her from leaving the building. The student then slapped the teacher, who hit her back. The girl eventually fled, before being caught at her home and taken into custody. The teacher immediately lodged a complaint.
The student was previously unknown to the police, but her father is already known for offences against secularism. He maintains that it was the teacher who struck the first blow. The girl was due to be tried on Wednesday, October 9th, but was granted an extension until December. She attended Wednesday’s hearing unveiled. She will be tried for “violence resulting in less than eight days’ absence from work” and” threatening to kill a public official.” The young woman admitted that she had slapped the teacher but denied having made any death threats. Former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, MP for the Tourcoing constituency where the incident took place, said that the incident had been confirmed by the school’s CCTV.