Public concern over the safety of teachers in French schools has intensified following a brutal stabbing at a secondary school in southern France, according to a new survey published on Wednesday, February 4th.
A study conducted by the CSA Institute for CNEWS, Europe 1, and the JDD found that 84% of French people are worried about the safety of teachers in schools. The findings come a day after a 60-year-old art teacher was critically wounded by a student in Sanary-sur-Mer, in the Var region.
The attack occurred on February 3rd at the Collège La Guicharde, near Toulon. Police said a 14-year-old pupil suddenly stood up during class and stabbed the plastic arts teacher three or four times before fleeing the classroom.
The teacher remains in critical condition. The teenager was arrested shortly afterward and placed in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, according to public prosecutor Raphael Balland.
The CSA survey highlights widespread anxiety across different demographic groups. Among women, 88% said they were concerned about teacher safety, compared with 79% of men. Concern was particularly high among young adults aged 18 to 24, with 95% expressing fear, the highest level recorded in the study.
Political affiliation also showed variations. While concern was widespread across the political spectrum, it was strongest among respondents identifying with right-wing parties. Some 92% of Rassemblement National supporters and 89% of those close to the Les Républicains said they were worried. On the left, 68% of Socialist Party supporters and 77% of respondents close to La France Insoumise and the Greens expressed concern.
