Dozens of high schools in the south of France were targeted by threats of attacks on the night of Monday March 25 to Tuesday March 26, giving rise to operations and even evacuations. This time, it is the south of France which is concerned, in particular the academies of Marseille and Nice, while 130 establishments in Paris and the North had been targeted the previous week.
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These threats were transmitted via digital workspaces (ENT) connecting teachers, students and parents. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (Paca), which manages the high schools, has assured to take “ these threats very seriously » and suspended the ENT Atrium in the region « to avoid any propagation of messages » to content « Islamist and terrorist “.
In the Nice academy, around thirty high schools were concerned and around fifteen in Bouches-du-Rhône, according to a police source. In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, four high schools were even evacuated while doubts were resolved, according to the prefecture.
Patrols have been reinforced near the high schools concerned. “ Instructions were given to the police to contact each establishment in order to carry out safety inspections and report any abnormal situation. », Specified in a press release the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, where 16 establishments were targeted. “ The presence of police and gendarmes is also reinforced around establishments in a logic of increased vigilance. »
“ We will not tolerate any abusive and malicious alerts “, declared the president of the region, Renaud Muselier, announcing systematic filings of complaints and demanding “ exemplary sanctions “.
A new wave of threats after last week
On March 25, the Ministry ofEducation national had indicated that nearly 130 high schools and colleges in Île-de-Francein Hauts-de-France and the Grand Est region, had been targeted since last week by threats of attacks and “ malicious acts ” via digital workspaces.
“ We have no indication that these were attacks other than French », Specified the Minister of National Education and Youth Nicole Belloubet on France Inter, this Tuesday March 26. “ When the perpetrators are known, the sanctions are very heavy. This can lead to prison sentences and there have already been situations in false bomb threats where there have been prison sentences handed down. “, she added.
Questioned in the National Assembly during questions to the government, Nicole Belloubet said she had “ requested his services, under 48 hours, to organize a meeting on the one hand with elected officials from local authorities and their representatives, and on the other hand, with school software publishers, to identify in the medium and long term the response measures that we will be able to set up “.
These facts come in a context of maximum alert in the face of the threat of attacks, after the attack which left at least 139 dead on the evening of Friday March 22 in a concert hall near Moscow. The latter would have been carried out by a “ entity ” of the group ” Islamic State » originally, according to Emmanuel Macronof ” several attempts » recent on French soil. THE Vigipirate plan has been raised to its maximum level Sunday March 24 in the evening, leading to a strengthening of security conditions around educational establishments.
Read alsoTerrorist threats to French high schools: ongoing investigation, strengthening of establishment security