Attacks on secularism. Montauban High School is under surveillance

Bourdelle Secondary School in Montauban is subject to “very careful monitoringEducation Minister Pap Ndiaye said on Tuesday, November 15, after attacks on secularism over the wearing of religious garb led to the protection of a teacher by the police.

In Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne), “the teacher is under protection because the student filmed her. This student then posted a video of the exchange between him and the teacher on social media, which is clearly illegal– explained the minister on BFMTV. He notes that “the teacher and the school filed a complaint“.

The student was wearing an abaya, a traditional garment worn over other clothing, at the facility that has been controversial at various high schools in France since the spring.

Student over 16 years old

According to a police source:Police patrols regularly pass in front of the house (from the teacher, editor’s note) and in front of the school“. Prior to final expulsion, this student, over the age of 16, “drop out of high schooladded Pope Ndiaye.

The twenty young girls who wore abayas before the holidays at this facility.”were the subject of the procedure. there were exchanges with families, with them“, the minister elaborated. “16 of them agreed to remove this garment for religious purposes, four remained at the beginning of the school year, three of them eventually removed this abaya and one remained, that’s exactly what I meant.“.

“Today, the situation at Burdell High School is much better than it was before the holidays“but”we are watching things very closely to get back to normal in a school that has had many incidents of secularism lately.said Pope Ndiaye.

When asked about France Inter last week, the minister had already said that Bourdelle High School (over 2,500 students) “is one of the most problematic high schools“and that”it deserves special attention“. The ministry recorded 720 reports of attacks against secularism in October, more than doubling from September, while the majority of incidents involved wearing religious garb, it announced last week.