Pupil stabs to death assistant at French school
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday condemned a "senseless wave of violence" after a teaching assistant stabbed by a 15-year-old pupil outside a school in the east of the country died of her wounds.
The secondary school student was arrested after attacking the 31-year-old assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France, officials said.
France has in recent years seen a series of attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren.
"While protecting our children, a teaching assistant lost her life, the victim of a senseless wave of violence," Macron wrote on X, commenting on the latest in a spate of such incidents at French schools.
"The nation is in mourning and the government is mobilised to reduce crime," he added.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne was on her way to Nogent "to support the entire school community and the police."
"I commend the composure and dedication of those who acted to subdue the attacker and protect the students and staff," she said on X.
The pupil is 15 years old and did not have a criminal record.
The teaching assistant received several knife wounds just as classes were starting, and the alleged attacker, who was overpowered by gendarmes, "appears to be a student at the school," education officials said.
- 'Have had enough' -
In March, French police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools.
The teaching assistant was "simply doing her job by welcoming students at the entrance to the school", said Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, secretary general of the SE-UNSA teachers' union, expressing "immense pain".
Allain-Moreno said that the attack "shows that nothing can ever be completely secure and that it is prevention that needs to be focused on."
Jean-Remi Girard, president of the National Union of Secondary Schools, added: "It's impossible to be more vigilant 24 hours a day.
"We can't say that every student is a danger or a threat, otherwise we'd never get out of bed in the morning."
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen denounced what she called the "normalisation of extreme violence, encouraged by the apathy of the authorities."
"Not a week goes by without a tragedy striking a school," Le Pen said on X.
"The French people have had enough and are waiting for a firm, uncompromising and determined political response to the scourge of juvenile violence."
At the end of April, after a fatal attack at a school in Nantes, the education ministry reported that 958 random bag checks in schools had led to the seizure of 94 knives.
After that knife attack, which left one person dead and three injured, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called for "more intensive checks around and inside schools".
bj-slb-cnp-mca-as/sjw
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Iran, an evil and desperate regime, is now more dangerous than ever
When I was woken up this morning at 3am by sirens that sounded across Israel I knew exactly what was happening. The signs had been piling up for the last few days: International Atomic Energy Agency declaring Iran in breach of its obligations, US pulling non-essential staff out of embassies, hospitals in Israel made ready, a warning issued to Hezbollah in Lebanon against attacking; the list goes on. But the signs of the inevitable had also been there for many years before. Iran has been a rogue state since the ayatollahs seized power in 1979. The Islamic Revolution that year was built on 'death to Israel' and 'death to America'. The US was the 'Great Satan', Israel and Britain the 'Little Satans'. These were not mere words. Iran was behind the suicide bombings that killed 241 US and 58 French military personnel plus six civilians in Beirut in 1983, as well as 63 deaths at the US Embassy there six months before. Iran's dirty work was also responsible for the killing of 85 people at a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in 1994, as well as 29 in an attack on the Israeli embassy in the same city in 1992. Iran and its proxies killed at least 1,100 British, American and allied troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2007 as well as an unknown number of coalition troops during the Afghanistan campaign. They have targeted US bases, international shipping and oil fields in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. And they have been attacking and killing Israeli soldiers and civilians for decades. That eventually culminated in the October 7 pogrom in Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and many were taken hostage. There is much more to add to Iran's catalogue of terror: a bomb factory in London, for instance, that was disrupted by British security services in 2015 and alleged attempted terrorist attacks in the UK leading to arrests last month. Iran has also been the major supplier of drones and missiles to Russia which have been used against civilian and military targets in Ukraine. For decades the Tehran regime has been working to develop nuclear weapons. Although Iran sometimes paused its programme when it feared punitive action from either the US or Israel, it has refused to stop; its upward trajectory has now reached a point where the IAEA believes it now has enough highly enriched uranium to make at least ten bombs. Iran's ballistic missile capability has also been proceeding apace, giving it a nuclear capability to span the region, and of course there are also other more covert means of delivering nuclear weapons. Until recently the missing part of the intelligence jigsaw was weaponisation, the ability to turn fissile material into a viable bomb. Today Israeli prime minister Netanyahu revealed that Iran has indeed been working on that important final step. With all diplomatic pathways to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear armed state closed off, Israel had no choice but to attack. The alternative would have been unthinkable: a regime that has repeatedly proven its capacity for unlimited violence acquiring nuclear weapons capability. But Iran's dictators are now in a desperate situation. How they will react is difficult to foresee. Israel has decapitated their armed forces and destroyed significant parts of their offensive capability. The IDF will continue to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and to degrade its capacity to strike, although we don't yet know whether it will be completely neutralised. If not, like Hitler in his bunker, the unhinged ayatollahs might try to lash out at oil states in the region – either with their own remaining armoury and or using what terrorist proxies remain to them. They might even attack US bases in the Middle East, which they have threatened to do, even though they know that could bring about their Armageddon. All of that might lead to insurrection in the country. Much of the population in recent years has reached new heights of hatred for rulers that have oppressed, imprisoned, tortured, murdered and impoverished them. But it is far from clear that there is a viable opposition able to step up; one scenario is perhaps some kind of military coup. It is possible that ayatollah Khamenei might heed president Trump's advice today and come to the negotiating table. That would probably be the worst option, because whatever Khamenei agrees to would not be honoured, leaving the Islamic State in a position to lick its wounds and then return to its nuclear programme. It is therefore vital now that Israel be given the freedom and support to finish the job it started last night. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Airlines halt many Middle East flights after Israel hits Iran
Global airlines on Friday cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and other Middle East destinations, or rerouted planes, as airspaces shut following Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria closed their airspaces after Israel hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Israel said Tehran launched drones in retaliation. Air India's New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker Flight Aware. Its London-New Delhi flight had just entered Iranian airspace and was rerouted over Iraq before arriving in India one hour late, according to Flight Aware. Air India diverted or called back a total of 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States "due to the emerging situation in Iran". Emirates, the Middle East's largest airline, cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran after Israel launched the strikes. Qatar Airways, the country's national carrier and one of the Middle East's largest, said it had "temporarily cancelled flights to Iran and Iraq due to (the) current situation in the region". Air France said it was suspending its flights to and from Tel Aviv "until further notice" following the closure of Israeli airspace. "Air France is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real time," a spokesman for the French airline told AFP, adding that "the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority". Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsiya instructed Russian airlines not to fly "in the airspace of Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran" or use airports in Israel and Iran. It said the restrictions will stay in place until June 26 or until further notice. German airline group Lufthansa suspended flights to and from Tehran until July 31. It also extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights for the same period. Swiss airline, which is owned by Lufthansa, suspended its Tel Aviv flights until October 25 while those to Beirut were suspended until the end of July. In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi airport warned "flight disruptions are expected through today (Friday)" as a result of the Israeli strikes. Dubai's airport also announced flight delays and cancellations due to the closure of airspaces in Iran, Iraq and Syria. tsz/uh/lth/cw/mmp/rmb
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
World leaders urge restraint after Israel attacks Iran
Global leaders urged restraint Friday after Israel launched a major string of strikes on Iran aimed at paralyzing the country's nuclear and military might. Countries around the world called on Israel and Iran to seek a diplomatic resolution to hostilities, as fears of a regional war mounted following the biggest attack on Iranian soil in decades. Longstanding Israel allies France, Germany, and the United Kingdom warned of rising tensions in the region and called on all parties to 'exercise restraint' and 'avoid further escalation.' The French government added that President Emmanuel Macron would hold a special defense cabinet meeting Friday to discuss the situation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had held a phone call with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu Friday morning and emphasized Germany's readiness to use 'all available diplomatic means' to help de-escalate. Oman, which has played a mediating role recent nuclear talks between Iran and the US, denounced Israel's strikes as 'a dangerous, reckless escalation,' calling the attack 'a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law' and saying it holds Israel responsible for fueling regional instability. Gulf leaders condemned the Israeli strikes and urged de-escalation. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister held calls with counterparts in Iran, Jordan, and Egypt on avoiding a regional escalation, while the UAE urged 'the utmost self-restraint' and called on the UN Security Council to seek a ceasefire. However, popular reaction in the Gulf was to some degree celebratory, with pro-Israel memes and praise on social media reflecting the role Iran has played in destabilizing Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen via its proxies. Meanwhile, Jordan's military said it intercepted Iranian drones and missiles aimed at Israel that violated its airspace Friday, with a Jordanian official telling AFP the kingdom 'will not be a battleground for any conflict.' China condemned what it described as an attack on Iran's sovereignty and offered to play 'a constructive role in easing the situation.' Beijing has in recent years signaled its intent to expand its influence in the Middle East, as part of its broader strategic rivalry with the United States. Moscow on Friday accused Israel of wrecking diplomatic efforts to strike a deal on Tehran's nuclear programme, calling the strikes 'unprovoked' and in breach of the United Nations charter.
