France headscarf ban row – France to sue teen over row claim

France’s prime minister has announced that a teenage girl will face legal action from the state for falsely accusing her headteacher of assaulting her during a heated altercation regarding her wearing of an Islamic head-covering.

The headteacher had insisted that the student adhere to French law by removing her head-covering while inside the school premises.

Following the circulation of death threats on social media, the headteacher resigned from his position.

Given the heightened Islamist threat targeting French schools, particularly since the tragic killings of two teachers, authorities are taking these matters with utmost seriousness.

The incidents include the beheading of Samuel Paty on a street in a Paris suburb in 2020, and the killing of Dominique Bernard at his school in Arras just five months ago.

The headteacher of the Paris school, whose identity remains undisclosed, announced his resignation via an email sent to colleagues at the Maurice Ravel Lycée in the 20th district of Paris on Friday.

“I have finally taken the decision to quit my functions,” he explained, “out of concern for my own safety and that of the establishment.”

“I leave after seven years, rich and intense, spent at your side, and after 45 years in public education,” he wrote, thanking his colleagues for the support they had shown him over the past three weeks.

French lawmakers from across the political spectrum have expressed outrage that the headteacher’s career has been ended by a social media hate campaign.

France headscarf ban

The incident took place on 28 February. The headteacher told three female pupils they should obey French law and remove their head coverings. 

Two complied but the third did not and there was an altercation. 

In the following days, the headteacher faced death threats on social media. Two people have been arrested in connection with the death threats – and neither has any link with the school. 

Paris schools bomb threats

Separately, several Paris schools were forced to close on Wednesday after receiving bomb threats from apparent Islamists.

Last week around 30 other schools in the Paris area received similar threats, accompanied by a video of a beheading.

Investigations are ongoing, but officials say they cannot rule out a Russian disinformation campaign.