Education unions denounce Lecornu's comments on possible “complicity” of staff in high school violence

The National Education unions denounced on Friday, November 13, the Prime Minister's comments on possible complicity of staff in the violence around high schools, accusing him of fueling tensions rather than contributing to their appeasement.

“This statement by the Prime Minister is a provocation which can only lead to fueling tensions in an already critical situation,” said Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of Snes-FSU, the leading high school and college union.

Members of National Education complicit in the violence?

Sébastien Lecornu spoke on Thursday of the case of certain high schools where “logistical planning is being put in place to deliver the mortars” of fireworks with, according to him, “people who sometimes, within the very confines of this high school, engage in complicity”. “There is a certain amount of information coming back to us which is totally in this direction,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed on LCI on Friday morning, while referring to a “tiny minority of cases” and calling for caution.

For the unions, these statements implicate the staff without specific elements supporting the suspicions. “Even if there are colleagues concerned and this remains to be demonstrated, procedures are planned,” recalls Sophie Vénétitay. “What is the need to throw them out to public opinion, to point out the staff, if not in a strategy of toughening the response and worsening the situation,” she continued.

Chain reactions

Same story with Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, general secretary of SE-Unsa, who deplores a “public accusation” which “castigates the staff of National Education” and the basis of which is not known. Jean-Rémi Girard, president of Snalc, also regrets comments which “add fuel to the fire rather than putting out the fire”. “We are making accusations, but without providing evidence or very concrete elements. In addition, the accusations are extremely vague,” he also denounces.

“We are not insinuating a rule of law. If there are facts, we rely on facts, and from there, there is law,” insists Laetitia Aresu, general secretary of CFDT Education. The union leader also points to “a little recurring music” towards the teachers, presented as “horrible leftists” who would manipulate the students.

But as civil servants, teachers have “a duty of neutrality, whatever it may be, in the political, religious, philosophical etc. domain,” she recalls.