France mourns as teen charged with killing teaching assistant, minute of silence observed nationwide

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - The victim's family called for a silent march to be held in Nogent today. — AFP pic

LILLE, June 13 — A 14-year-old schoolboy was charged with the murder of a teaching assistant stabbed to death earlier this week, prosecutors said yesterday, as schools across France held a minute of silence.

The secondary school pupil was arrested Tuesday after allegedly stabbing to death a school monitor—a 31-year-old mother of a young boy—during a bag search in the eastern town of Nogent.

Quentin G. was charged with the “murder of a person in a position of authority”, which under French law is an aggravating circumstance, and was ordered to be held in custody.

He has also been named as a person of interest in the assault of a gendarme during his arrest shortly after the fatal stabbing, said prosecutors in the eastern city of Dijon.

This latest school attack has caused widespread shock in France, with President Emmanuel Macron denouncing what he said was a rise in violence.

Prosecutors say the pupil had wanted to attack “any” monitor after being reprimanded a few days earlier for kissing his girlfriend.

Regional prosecutor Denis Devallois told reporters on Wednesday that the teenager acknowledged “being the perpetrator” of the deadly stabbing and that he “intended to kill”.

As a minor, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment.

A minute’s silence

Schools across France observed a minute of silence at midday in memory of the victim, identified by authorities only as Melanie.

France has seen several attacks on teachers and pupils in recent years by schoolchildren.

Macron denounced the violence during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, said the government spokeswoman.

“He spoke of a rise, a disinhibition around violence in our country, for which solutions will clearly need to be found,” Sophie Primas said, quoting the French leader.

In March, police began carrying out random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools.

Classes resumed on Thursday at the site of the killing, the Francoise Dolto school.

The first students arrived shortly after 8:00 am in complete silence, escorted by a member of school staff, an AFP journalist saw.

“It’s going to be strange not seeing the monitor anymore,” said Jade, 15.

“I told my daughters to go to the counselling room to talk,” said Daniele Quentin, 52, mother of three children enrolled at the school.

“It’s going to be hard for the girls, who really liked her,” she said, referring to the victim.

‘No regret’

A former hairdresser, the victim had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was a mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent.

Her family called for a silent march to be held in Nogent today.

The suspect told investigators “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”, Devallois said, adding she was not the one killed.

“He stated that he had, as early as the next day, Saturday, mulled over a plan to kill a monitor,” the prosecutor added.

“He grabbed the largest knife in his home to, in his words, ‘cause the most damage’.”

The teenager did not appear to suffer from any “mental disorder”, but appeared “detached” and expressed “no regret” for the killing, Devallois said.

In the wake of the attack, authorities promised measures to tackle knife crime among children.

Macron said on Tuesday he was proposing banning social media for children under 15.

Greece has spearheaded a proposal backed by France and Spain for the European Union to limit children’s use of online platforms.

Macron said France would go ahead with a unilateral ban if no progress was made on an EU-wide measure. — AFP