Anne Genetet confuses a tribute to Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard in mid-October, with a time of contemplation in schools for the anniversary of the Hamas attacks in Israel.
An unwelcome blunder. Invited on RTL this Friday, October 4, 2024 for what constituted her first media appearance since her appointment, the Minister of National Education Anne Genetet addressed the first anniversary of last October 7, the day of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.
The opportunity for the former Macronist MP to announce a “time of contemplation and a time of work also to reflect on what it means to defend secularism very concretely”, next Monday, in French schools. “We are in the process of establishing the modalities,” she announced, recalling that “anti-Semitic acts are unacceptable, it is an offense, they must be punished. I will be very firm as minister on this subject,” continues- She.
However, it did not take long for the ministry to backpedal. A few minutes later, the Ministry of National Education “told us that it had made a mistake,” an RTL journalist insisted on correcting on the air, even speaking of a “quack.” In reality, the “time of meditation and work”, mentioned by the minister absolutely does not concern the anniversary of October 7.
Anne Genetet confused this event with the tribute which will be dedicated to Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard, two teachers killed during Islamist attacks. The minister was actually talking about the following week, and a tribute “mid October”, on Monday 14 or Tuesday 15, dedicated to the two professors whose names she also mentioned this Friday morning. To be very clear, despite the words of the Minister of National Education this morning: there will be no class time dedicated to the conflict between Hamas and Israel next Monday, the anniversary of October 7, 2023.