French teen charged for pointing fake gun at teacher
October 22, 2018
French prosecutors have charged a 15-year-old with aggravated assault, after a video of the teenager pointing a fake gun at his teacher made the rounds on social media.
The incident took place on Thursday in the Paris suburb of Creteil and was later uploaded online by one of the teenager's classmates. The teacher filed a complaint with police the following day, after which the boy presented himself to police accompanied by his father.
In the video, the teenager can be seen standing over the seated teacher brandishing what turned out to be an air gun.
"You've marked me absent. Mark me as present," he shouts as another student tries to plead his case with the teacher. French newspaper Le Parisien reported that the boy, who was late for class, was angry after the teacher had already marked him as absent.
The teacher in the clip appears more weary than panicked and continues to work on her laptop while exchanging a few inaudible remarks.
French lawmakers outraged over gun incident
Thursday's incident prompted widespread outrage among several French lawmakers.
"School is the cradle of the Republic and it is where we learn to respect the Republic," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said during a visit to a police station in eastern Paris on Sunday. He promised to "recapture the Republic square meter by square meter" from lawless elements.
President Emmanuel Macron warned in a tweet on Saturday that threatening a teacher was "unacceptable" and that he had ordered his ministers to take "all necessary measures" to prevent a repeat incident.
In a joint statement on Sunday, Castaner and Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer (top photo) announced they would convene a top-level meeting next week to discuss ways to stop school violence in low-income city suburbs.