What happens when an activity presented as educational enters one of Europe’s most controversial political debates?
The French justice system provided an answer this week in a ruling that marks an important victory for Éric Zemmour and for those who have spent years warning about the growing politicization of certain educational spaces. The Paris Criminal Court acquitted the leader of Reconquête, members of his party, and several officials from the Rassemblement National who had been accused of defamation for criticizing a school trip organized in 2022 by a philosophy teacher.
The complaint was brought by Sophie Djigo, a teacher and activist involved in migration-related causes, who had arranged a trip for preparatory-class students to Calais to meet with an association dedicated to supporting migrants and refugees.
For Zemmour, this was not a simple academic activity. It was an example of how certain political causes are gradually entering classrooms under the guise of education.
The trip was scheduled to take place in Calais, a city that for years has become one of the main hubs of illegal migration towards the United Kingdom and a symbol of Europe’s difficulties in controlling its borders.
Students were due to meet volunteers from a pro-migrant association as part of a project on migration and borders. The public was made aware of the initiative by the ‘Parents Vigilants’ group, launched by Reconquête to monitor school activities it considers ideologically driven.
Shortly afterwards, Zemmour publicly denounced what he described as a form of “indoctrination” linked to immigration. His criticism sparked a major media controversy.
However, four years later, the courts have concluded that those statements do not constitute defamation.
The ruling represents a setback for those who sought to turn legitimate political criticism into a criminal matter.
The case has raised a question that goes far beyond France. Increasing numbers of parents are questioning whether certain school activities genuinely serve academic objectives or whether they function as vehicles for transmitting particular ideological positions to students.
Zemmour’s acquittal comes at a time when numerous European conservative movements are denouncing the growing use of the courts to restrict certain political opinions.
