A French teacher has been suspended by her school after agreeing to a student-led silent tribute for the victims of Israel’s bloody war on Gaza.
A physics and chemistry teacher at Janot-Curie High School in Sens, Yonne, was suspended on 31 March for observing a minute’s silence in her classroom for Palestinians killed in Gaza.
According to the Dijon education authority, the teacher “acted on her own initiative” and allegedly failed to uphold France’s principle of “neutrality” in public schools.
The minute’s silence was held on 25 March, just days after Israel resumed its military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, ending a brief ceasefire.
However, several French teaching unions rejected this version of events and insisted that the request came from the students themselves.
In a joint statement, several education unions claimed: “The teacher agreed, at the end of her class, to observe this time of homage with the students who wished to do so.”
They described the disciplinary action as disproportionate and called for her immediate reinstatement.
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“We demand that this teacher be reinstated immediately, that all charges be dropped, and that her dignity be officially restored in the eyes of the school, staff, and parents,” the unions said.
French authorities argued that the teacher had violated the principle of laïcité (state secularism), which requires civil servants, including public school teachers, to remain politically and religiously neutral in their professional conduct.
“Respecting neutrality is a duty for civil servants, enshrined in their status, and any failure to comply with this obligation triggers disciplinary proceedings,” the Dijon education authority stated.
However, critics argue that this principle is often applied unevenly, particularly when it comes to expressions of solidarity with Palestinians or Muslim causes across the globe.
Prominent political figures, such as Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party (PS), also condemned the teacher’s suspension. He wrote on X: “A minute’s silence requested by the students, with those who do not want to join being able to withdraw, to pay tribute to the victims in Gaza, and it is the teacher who is suspended… really?”
Growing tensions over Israel
The incident comes amid growing diplomatic tensions between France and Israel.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently joined UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in issuing their strongest condemnation yet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign in Gaza.
In a joint statement, the leaders threatened “concrete actions” if Israel did not end its “egregious” assault on civilians and allow humanitarian aid to reach the starving population of Gaza.
The Israeli government responded angrily. Following the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, Prime Minister Netanyahu blamed Western allies for fuelling global hostility towards Israel.
“I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Trudeau, and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers, and kidnappers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice,” Netanyahu wrote on social media. “You’re on the wrong side of humanity, and you’re on the wrong side of history.”
French authorities have come under increasing scrutiny for targeting teachers, activists, and students who express solidarity with Palestinians.
In recent months, dozens of pro-Palestine demonstrations have been banned, and civil servants have been warned against any perceived deviation from the government’s official line.
Human rights organisations have condemned what they call a “gagging culture” in French institutions, where support for Palestinian victims is often equated with extremism.
Teaching unions and civil liberties groups say the suspended teacher’s case is part of this broader trend—and they warn that, without resistance, the right to express humanitarian concern may disappear entirely from French classrooms.
