Latest news with #Nogent
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
French prosecutors seek murder charge for school stabbing suspect
French prosecutors on Thursday requested that a 14-year-old school pupil detained for allegedly stabbing to death a teaching assistant in eastern France be charged with murder and placed in pre-trial detention. The secondary school pupil was arrested Tuesday after allegedly killing the 31-year-old school monitor with a knife during a bag search in the eastern town of Nogent, in an attack that caused widespread shock in France. On Thursday, prosecutors requested he be charged with 'murder of a person carrying out a public service mission' and 'intentional violence' against a police officer injured during the arrest. The prosecutor's office also requested that the pupil be placed in pre-trial detention, Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch said in a statement. As a minor, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment. The prosecutors made the announcement as classes resumed at the Françoise Dolto school struck by the tragedy. Regional prosecutors told reporters on Wednesday that the teenager acknowledged 'being the perpetrator' of the deadly stabbing. He had wanted to attack 'any' adult monitor after being reprimanded for kissing his girlfriend, they said. He did not appear to suffer from any 'mental disorder' but appeared 'detached' and expressed 'no regret' for killing one of the school's monitors, all of whom were women, prosecutors said. A moment of silence will be held at midday in schools across France in memory of the victim.
Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Student in northeastern France stabs school assistant to death
French police are questioning a student following today's stabbing in Nogent. (EPA Images pic) PARIS : French police were questioning a student who stabbed to death a 31-year-old school assistant today as pupils' bags were being checked outside the gates of a school in Nogent in northeastern France. The suspect was being held at the gendarmerie of Nogent, the Haute-Marne prefecture said. 'While watching over our children in Nogent, an educational assistant lost her life, the victim of a senseless wave of violence,' president Emmanuel Macron wrote on X 'The nation is in mourning and the government is mobilised to reduce crime,' he added. Several media reports said the suspect was a 15-year-old student. Reuters could not immediately confirm this information.
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
France eyes social media ban for kids under 15 after school stabbing
French authorities have announced plans to ban social media for those under the age of 15 and the sale of knives to minors after the murder of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old boy plunged the country into shock. A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France. Friends and well-wishers left flowers and messages of support in front of the secondary school struck by the tragedy. "We share your pain," read one message. Laurence Raclot, who knew the teaching assistant, Melanie, said she was "stunned." "She was great with kids," Raclot said. "In a quiet little town, we never would have thought this could happen." A former hairdresser, Melanie had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was the mother of a four-year-old boy and a councilor in a village near Nogent. "There are no words," added another local, Sabrina Renault. "It's really sad for her whole family, for that little boy who's left without his mum." Pupils and parents were seen entering and leaving the school, where a psychological support unit has been set up. The suspect will remain in police custody for a further 24 hours, until Thursday morning, a police source said on Wednesday. Little information has been released about his motive. In the wake of the attack, authorities promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children. "I am proposing banning social media for children under 15," French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media platform X on Tuesday evening. "Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it," he added. Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the European Union should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Macron said on Tuesday that if no progress was made within several months, then France would go ahead with the ban unilaterally. "We cannot wait," he told broadcaster France 2. France has in recent years seen several attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren. In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks. Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force "immediately." The list will include "any knife that can be used as a weapon," he said. He also said parents and educators should be watching for "signs that a teenager is not doing well," while acknowledging that there was a shortage of psychologists. Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne called for a minute's silence to be held in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honor the memory of the teaching assistant. "The entire educational community is in shock, as is the whole nation," she told France Inter radio on Wednesday. Borne said she was "open to anything" to improve safety but added that ceramic blades would be invisible to metal detectors. She also said that young people should be protected from "overexposure to screens." But trade unions said they were not sure how these proposals would be implemented and enforced. "Teaching assistants have primarily educational duties within the school environment," said Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers' union. But, she added, "little by little, we have seen attempts to turn them into security guards." Remy Reynaud of the CGT Educ'action union criticized the government's decision to introduce bag searches outside schools. "They increase tensions," he said. "School management are pressuring teaching assistants to participate in the searches, which is not part of their duties."
Malay Mail
16 hours ago
- Malay Mail
France school stabbing: Teen suspect said he planned to kill ‘any monitor' after reprimand over kiss
PARIS, June 12 —A 14-year-old French school pupil detained for stabbing to death a teaching assistant had wanted to attack 'any' adult monitor after being reprimanded for kissing his girlfriend, a prosecutor said yesterday. French authorities have announced plans to ban social media for under-15s and the sale of knives to minors after the teenager was arrested for the murder of the 31-year-old school monitor on Tuesday in the eastern town of Nogent. The killing of the monitor—named only as Melanie—caused widespread shock, just months after another student killed a girl and wounded several others in a stabbing in western France. The Nogent school pupil acknowledged 'being the perpetrator' of the latest deadly stabbing, regional prosecutor Denis Devallois told reporters. The teenager did not appear to suffer from any 'mental disorder', but appeared 'detached' and expressed 'no regret' for killing one of the school's monitors, all of whom were women, Devallois said. He said the suspect said he was a fan of 'violent video games', and showed a 'fascination for violence and death'. The suspect 'said there was perhaps a link with the fact he was told off by a monitor on Friday, June 6, as he was kissing his girlfriend on school grounds', the prosecutor said, adding she was not the one killed on Tuesday. 'He stated that he had, as early as the next day, Saturday, mulled over a plan to kill a monitor, in his own words, 'any one of them',' the prosecutor added. 'He said that on Tuesday morning after breakfast he grabbed the largest knife in his home to, in his words, 'cause the most damage''. Pupils stand in front of flowers on the fence of Francoise Dolto middle school in Nogent yesterday. — AFP pic 'She was great with kids' Friends and well-wishers earlier on Wednesday left flowers and messages of support in front of the secondary school. Laurence Raclot, who knew the victim, said she was 'stunned'. 'She was great with kids,' Raclot said of the teaching assistant. A former hairdresser, Melanie had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was the mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent. In the wake of the attack, authorities promised measures to tackle knife crime among children. 'I am proposing banning social media for children under 15,' President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it.' Greece has spearheaded a proposal backed by France and Spain for the European Union to limit children's use of online platforms, as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Macron said on Tuesday that France 'cannot wait' and that if no progress was made in the coming months, the country would go ahead with the ban unilaterally. France has seen several attacks on teachers and pupils in recent years by other schoolchildren. In March, police started random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools. Metal detectors? On Wednesday, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's office said a decree would be issued within the next two weeks to ban the sale of knives to minors. Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne has also called for children's screen time to be limited. But trade unions said they were not sure how the government's latest proposals could be enforced. Sophie Venetitay, general-secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers' union, criticised what she saw as attempts to turn teaching assistants 'into security guards'. Remy Reynaud, of the CGT Educ'action union, said bag searches outside schools simply 'increase tensions'. Borne has called for a minute's silence in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honour the teaching assistant. Borne on Sunday said French secondary schools could now screen British Netflix drama 'Adolescence', which explores how boys can be exposed to misogynistic influences online. — AFP
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
France eyes social media ban for under-15s after school stabbing
PARIS: French authorities have announced plans to ban social media for under-15s and the sale of knives to minors after the murder of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old boy plunged the country into shock. A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France. Friends and well-wishers left flowers and messages of support in front of the secondary school struck by the tragedy. 'We share your pain,' read one message. Laurence Raclot, who knew the teaching assistant, Melanie, said she was 'stunned.' 'She was great with kids,' Raclot said. 'In a quiet little town, we never would have thought this could happen.' A former hairdresser, Melanie had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was the mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent. 'There are no words,' added another local, Sabrina Renault. 'It's really sad for her whole family, for that little boy who's left without his mum.' Pupils and parents were seen entering and leaving the school, where a psychological support unit has been set up. The suspect will remain in police custody for a further 24 hours, until Thursday morning, a police source told AFP on Wednesday. Little information has been released about his motive. In the wake of the attack, authorities promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children. 'I am proposing banning social media for children under 15,' President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it,' he added. Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Macron said on Tuesday that if no progress was made within several months, then France would go ahead with the ban unilaterally. 'We cannot wait,' he told broadcaster France 2. France has in recent years seen several attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren. In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks. Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force 'immediately.' The list will include 'any knife that can be used as a weapon,' he said. He also said parents and educators should be watching for 'signs that a teenager is not doing well,' while acknowledging that there was a shortage of psychologists. Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne called for a minute's silence to be held in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honor the memory of the teaching assistant. 'The entire educational community is in shock, as is the whole nation,' she told France Inter radio on Wednesday. Borne said she was 'open to anything' to improve safety but added that ceramic blades would be invisible to metal detectors. She also said that young people should be protected from 'overexposure to screens.' But trade unions said they were not sure how these proposals would be implemented and enforced. 'Teaching assistants have primarily educational duties within the school environment,' said Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers' union. But, she added, 'little by little, we have seen attempts to turn them into security guards.' Remy Reynaud of the CGT Educ'action union criticized the government's decision to introduce bag searches outside schools. 'They increase tensions,' he said. 'School management are pressuring teaching assistants to participate in the searches, which is not part of their duties.'
