French President Emmanuel Macron has denounced the “senseless…violence” that resulted in the fatal stabbing of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old student, marking the latest tragic incident in the country’s schools.
The secondary school student was apprehended after attacking the 31-year-old assistant with a knife during a bag check in Nogent, located in eastern France, according to officials.
In recent years, France has experienced multiple assaults on teachers and students by their peers.
In March, law enforcement initiated random searches for knives and other concealed weapons in bags at schools and their surroundings.
The suspect has been taken into custody.
Emergency vehicles and police cars were stationed outside the school around midday.
Students have been sent home, and classes will be suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nora, a local resident who knew the victim, expressed her sorrow for the woman’s husband and young son, stating she was “very sad.”
“It happened in Nogent today, but it could occur anywhere,” she remarked.
Prosecutor Denis Devallois indicated that the alleged attacker was subdued by police officers on the scene.
One officer suffered minor injuries, he reported.
“While we strive to protect our children, a teaching assistant has lost her life, falling victim to a senseless wave of violence,” Mr. Macron stated on X.
“The nation is in mourning, and the government is mobilized to combat crime,” he added.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou emphasized that the threat of knives among children has escalated to a “critical” level.
“It is our duty to make this pervasive scourge a public enemy,” he expressed on X.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne visited Nogent to show her support.
“I commend the composure and commitment of those who intervened to subdue the attacker and safeguard the students and staff,” she noted on X.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne addressing the press at the scene
‘Simply doing her job’
In May, Naima Moutchou, the deputy speaker of the French parliament, remarked that knife-carrying had transformed into “a phenomenon” affecting “all areas” of society and individuals from various backgrounds.
She presented a report to Mr. Bayrou on the issue of knife possession among minors.
Many students who carried knives were attempting to “defend themselves,” while others were described as “psychologically fragile,” she stated.
Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the prominent middle and high school teachers’ union SNES-FSU, expressed her “anger at the thought that a teaching assistant was exposed in such a manner.”
“Teaching assistants fulfill an educational role and are not security personnel outside schools,” she asserted.
The teaching assistant was “simply doing her job by welcoming students at the school’s entrance,” added Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, secretary general of the SE-UNSA teachers’ union.
She conveyed her “immense pain” regarding the tragic incident.
“(It) highlights that complete security is unattainable, and our focus must remain on prevention,” she stated.
Jean-Remi Girard, president of the National Union of Secondary Schools, remarked: “It’s impossible to maintain vigilance 24 hours a day.”
“We cannot label every student as a danger or threat; otherwise, we’d never get out of bed in the morning,” he commented.
The Interior Ministry reported that between 26 March and 26 May, 6,000 checks had resulted in the confiscation of 186 knives.
