The plan to name a college in the name of Samuel Paty was rejected by teachers, parents and students of the establishment. But the idea remains proposed elsewhere. Necessary tribute or burden for teenagers?
Should we rename schools in the names of victims of terrorism? Robert Beneventi, LR mayor of Ollioules (Var) had the project to give the name of Samuel Paty to the college Eucalyptus. As a reminder, Samuel Paty is this history-geography teacher beheaded on October 16, 2020 after showing caricatures of Muhammad in his class, as part of a course on freedom of expression. "I wanted to pay tribute to this professor killed in horrible conditions, declared the elected to France Bleu. It is for me a strong symbol of the Republic. In Ollioules, we have the place Jean-Jaurès, also assassinated, we have the rue Gabriel-Péri, assassinated by the Nazis. So for me, it was natural and obvious to salute the memory of Samuel Paty ". A reference mic-mac that did not convince. In an internal survey, 100% of teachers, 89% of parents and 69% of students said they were against. On January 27, 2021 and following these results, the idea was withdrawn from the vote in the city council.
Read also: Assassination of Samuel Paty: why we should not interview children about terrorism
A heavy name to bear for a place dedicated to children
But what if this tribute was ultimately necessary? Sandra Olivier, math teacher in the establishment and SNES representative, thinks it rather unsuitable."Obviously we want to pay tribute to our colleague, but not like that, she explains to France Bleu. It is obvious to have a ceremony every year on the anniversary date, but renaming the college after Samuel Paty is not, in our opinion, a good idea. " Added to this is the fear that the establishment will be designated as a target. As La Croix recalls, several teachers have been threatened or attacked since the assassination of the history teacher. "It's taking a risk that can be avoided", pragmatically estimates the teacher, who also recalls: "A few months ago, the street where the college is located was renamed" rue du Colonel Arnaud Beltrame " (this gendarme killed by a terrorist in March 2018, Editor's note), that makes a lot of tributes around this college, it makes things sad for an establishment which welcomes children. "
The weight indeed seems enormous for the college students of this commune, in an already heavy context of pandemic and Vigipirate plan activated. Evoking the names of victims of an attack on a daily basis could be anxious for teenagers in the process of construction and who remain, even today, shocked by the tragedy of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.
How to pay homage to Samuel Paty?
In other cities, the subject has been put on the table, as in Boulazac-Isle-Manoire (Dordogne) but also in Béziers (Hérault). In the stronghold of Robert Ménard, affiliated with the National Rally, the measure has even already been accepted: directly voted by the municipal council, it was not the subject of a consultation with the first interested. For his part, the mayor of Ollioules, disappointed, explores other avenues to pay tribute to Samuel Paty, in connection with his family.
Same approach for the Association of Teachers of History and Geography, which had approached its own. On January 27, 2021, the APHG announced that it had put its network "in the service of creating a prize in his memory", who "will reward educational work (…) around an annual theme linked to EMC programs (moral and civic education, Editor's note) ". Objective: "promote cohesion and cooperation through a class project, from the start of the school year 2021". A constructive and adapted project, far from any instrumentalisation for political ends.