Tourcoing student arrested after assaulting teacher

On Monday evening, an 18-year-old student was taken into custody in Tourcoing (Nord), on suspicion of physically assaulting a teacher at the Lycée Sévigné. According to initial information from the investigation, the incident began when the medico-social technical sciences teacher asked the young girl to remove the veil she had put on before leaving the school. The student refused and left the school. The teacher followed her outside, leading to a heated exchange.

According to police sources and information gathered by France Bleu Nord and confirmed by H24 NEWS, the situation escalated when the girl pushed and slapped the teacher. The latter allegedly responded with a slap before being beaten up by the student. The alleged assailant fled the scene, but was arrested at her home by the police at around 7pm. She was immediately taken into custody. It was also confirmed that she was not known to the law. The teacher has since lodged a complaint.

Crisis meeting and interruption of classes at Lycée Sévigné

The following morning, the school’s teachers met to discuss the facts. Exercising their right of withdrawal, they decided to suspend classes for the day on Tuesday, and the teacher concerned was not present. A crisis unit was set up in collaboration with the teaching staff and the rectorat. At this stage, the rectorat confirms that an incident has taken place, without providing any further details.

Tourcoing town hall has also reacted. In a statement, mayor Doriane Bécue strongly condemned the violence suffered by the teacher: “I deeply deplore this unacceptable act, when the teacher was merely respecting the principle of secularism within the establishment.” She also affirmed the municipality’s full support for the teachers and all educational staff in this ordeal.

Political reactions

Gérald Darmanin, former Minister of the Interior and MP for Nord, also expressed his support on social networks. On the X platform (formerly Twitter), he declared: “I would like to offer my full support to this teacher from Tourcoing, who was struck while she was simply enforcing secularism, our common good. We must all stand up for our teachers and condemn any attack on the Republic.”

This affair once again highlights the issue of secularism and the tensions that can arise in the school environment, prompting strong and unanimous reactions in support of educational staff.