Le Figaro Marseille
It is an attack which greatly shocked the Marseille educational community, increasingly exposed to acts of verbal and physical violence provoked by students and sometimes even their own parents. Monday afternoon, the principal of La Millière primary school was the target of a serious attack when leaving classes perpetrated by a mother and her adult daughter.
The events occurred in front of the gates of this public establishment located in the 11th arrondissement of the city. According to the story of parents of students who witnessed the scene and reported by
La Provence
, the school teachers were first taken to task by the mother of a student, furious to learn that her child was was unable to take part in a field trip organized by the school.
“The outing had been planned for several weeks, but the paper had not been signed by the student's parents, despite several reminders
,” explains Franck Neff, head of the SNUDI-FO 13 union, to Le
Figaro
.
The tone would then quickly rise between the mother and the teachers, soon joined by the director of the establishment. Insulted and called
“racist”
, she then invited the mother and her daughter to leave the premises. This is where the latter allegedly slapped him before inflicting several violent kicks on him, all in front of a crowd of children and parents.
“The students witnessed the scene, some were still crying this morning for not going to class. They are still traumatized
,” reports Franck Neff.
A complaint filed by the mother
Shocked, the director of the establishment went to file a complaint the day after the attack, before receiving a temporary incapacity for work for five days.
“She is very weakened by this event and upset by the media spin generated around the affair, which occurred a few days before the school holidays
,” whispers Franck Neff.
Unbelievably, the mother in question also filed a complaint to denounce alleged acts of
“racism”
.
“It’s a pretext to explain that one’s child would be “poorly regarded” within the school. Fortunately, the parents of students at the establishment banded together against her to denounce this attack
,” explains Franck Neff, specifying that this serious incident would
“leave traces”
within the establishment.
“The whole team was present this morning at the school to stand together with the parents of the students, but many came with a lump in their stomach. However, it is a relatively quiet establishment which operates in a very welcoming manner
,” he explains. In response to the principal's attack, the school carnival which was to take place during the week was canceled. Teachers, for their part, would even hesitate to reorganize new school trips in the future.
“No waves”
Contacted, the rectorate of the Aix-Marseille academy indicated to Le
Figaro
that a psychological unit had been quickly made available to the school's students and teachers. National Education mobility and security teams and law enforcement took turns all week to ensure the smooth running of class entries and exits. A complaint was also filed by the academic inspectorate against the mother and her daughter who were responsible for the beatings. The two suspects were placed in police custody on Wednesday, as reported by
La Provence
and confirmed to Le
Figaro
by a source close to the case.
The affair, made public this mid-week, caused a stir in Marseille. On X, Benoît Payan sent his
“support”
to the director of Millière.
“Justice is seized. No violence against teachers can be tolerated. In the crucible of our values, the school is a sanctuary that we must tirelessly defend and protect
,” wrote the mayor of the city.
Behind the scenes, this attack went down very badly with the school's teaching team, who would be advised not to exercise their right of withdrawal.
“The hierarchy minimizes this type of incident. We are in “no waves”. Teachers were also strongly advised against filling out a “serious and imminent danger” form. “It’s still a minimum
,” complains Franck Neff.
“In Bouches-du-Rhône, conflicts between certain parents and teachers are reported every day. Usually, it starts with threats, but we are not used to physical attacks. No school is spared from violence. We are here to teach, not to solve society’s problems
,” he says. Last mid-March, a CPE who was trying to put an end to a fight between teenagers was also violently attacked when leaving her establishment in Marseille.