France is setting up a mobile security force for schools "experiencing difficulties", days after the headteacher of a Paris school resigned because of death threats.
The head was falsely accused of striking a student in a row over her wearing an Islamic headscarf in school.
Education Minister Nicole Belloubet said the mobile force was intended to reassure teachers and boost security.
Tensions in French schools are high since the killing of two teachers.
Samuel Paty was decapitated on the street in a Paris suburb in 2020 and Dominique Bernard was killed at his school in Arras five months ago. Former students who had been radicalised were involved in both killings.
The education ministry said the "mobile school force" would be composed of about 20 education officers who could be deployed within 48 hours from the start of the next school year, wherever local authorities needed additional support.
In case anyone isn't familiar, Laïcité is a French constitutional principle that requires secularism in most public spaces. The original purpose was to limit the influence of The Catholic Church...
In case anyone isn't familiar, Laïcité is a French constitutional principle that requires secularism in most public spaces. The original purpose was to limit the influence of The Catholic Church in civil society and government. It's sorta similar to the separation of church and state in the US, but it's very very different. For example, French teachers absolutely cannot wear jewelry with religious symbols.
While I obviously condem stabbing teachers I don't think having a task force to help address violence in schools is an example of laïcite in action and I also think that laïcite is actually much...
While I obviously condem stabbing teachers I don't think having a task force to help address violence in schools is an example of laïcite in action and I also think that laïcite is actually much worse than the Anglo model or secularism where you allow everyone to practice their religion and provide protection for the free expression of religion rather than trying to suppress it.
One risk of course is that you end up with a governmemt that implements laïcite very selectively against groups they don't like (e.g. Muslims), for example when French government officials have tried to ban all full body swim costumes because they thought they were too islamic.
Absolutely necessary. Lacite is messy, but France is entirely within its rights to apply it at the policy level.
In case anyone isn't familiar, Laïcité is a French constitutional principle that requires secularism in most public spaces. The original purpose was to limit the influence of The Catholic Church in civil society and government. It's sorta similar to the separation of church and state in the US, but it's very very different. For example, French teachers absolutely cannot wear jewelry with religious symbols.
Thanks for adding that. I was in a rush and wasn't able to pony up the reference link nor the accent 😔
While I obviously condem stabbing teachers I don't think having a task force to help address violence in schools is an example of laïcite in action and I also think that laïcite is actually much worse than the Anglo model or secularism where you allow everyone to practice their religion and provide protection for the free expression of religion rather than trying to suppress it.
One risk of course is that you end up with a governmemt that implements laïcite very selectively against groups they don't like (e.g. Muslims), for example when French government officials have tried to ban all full body swim costumes because they thought they were too islamic.