183 schoolchildren suspended from classes for extremism in France

The French authorities decided to suspend 183 strudents from school due to their manifestations of extremism during ceremonies in memory of teachers Samuel Paty (2020) and Dominique Bernard (2023) killed by radicals. This was announced by the Minister of National Education and Youth Affairs Gabriel Attal.

“Dozens of students are attracting our closest attention. 183 students will not return to school [after the autumn holidays] on November 6 until a decision is made regarding them by the disciplinary council,” he said on BFMTV. Some of them openly threatened teachers or were seen as justifying terrorism, Attal said.

The minister added that “they should not be left unattended,” but also that “they should not be in the company of other schoolchildren.” At the same time, he expressed the opinion that education plays an important role in combating radicalization.

In total, 500 different incidents were recorded at the memorial ceremonies held on October 16 in schools across the country. Some students refused to honor the memory of deceased teachers or disrupted order.