A French teacher was accused of racism and provocation against students in the class after presenting a work by Giuseppe Cesari as part of a short on art, depicting five naked women. The minister announced disciplinary measures.
A simple lesson turns into controversy. Thursday, December 7, a French teacher from the Jacques-Cartier college in Issou (Yvelines) presented a painting by Giuseppe Cesari to her 6th grade class as part of a lesson on art. This work, “Diane and Actaeon”, represents the bodies of five completely naked women. From then on, some students shocked by the scene looked away because the representation of this painting was not “in accordance with their beliefs”. Shortly after, defamatory rumors recognized as such were spread in the establishment.
These rumors targeted the teacher, who, according to these allegations, made racist remarks and questioned Muslim students in an attempt to make them uncomfortable. “Defamation” according to the words of another college teacher to our colleagues atActu.fr : “She never said that, but the damage is done. We are dealing with some vindictive parents, who prefer to believe their children’s word rather than ours. Our colleague needs to be protected. She must be protected !” The same day, discussions continued between students and the head teacher. The exchange would have demonstrated that the invectives aimed at the teacher were indeed untruths on the part of the students. The professor has already requested functional protection to obtain legal assistance from National Education.
The Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal went there on Monday December 11 to speak with the educational community to try to understand the malaise in which this establishment has found itself for many months. The latter launched “a disciplinary procedure against the students who are responsible for this situation and have also admitted the facts”. “A CPE position, but also reinforcements for education assistants and AESH” as well as school life teams will be put in place” indicates the Minister of National Education. Finally, an academic team “ values of the Republic” will be deployed at Jacques-Cartier College.
Facts which recall the assassination of Samuel Paty
“We are very afraid for our colleague, it reminded us of Samuel Paty,” confides a teacher from this Yvelines college, still to Actu.fr. How can we not make the link with the tragic death of Samuel Paty in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine three years earlier? Since October 2023, 14 facts (attacks on secularism, people, security or property, racism) have already been recorded in this establishment which had alerted the deputy academic director of National Education services on December 1st last.
He then reported “multiple slanderous denunciations and acts of defamation from students and parents of students towards staff”. During the 2022/2023 school year, only three incidents of this type were reported. A figure which attests to the rise in power of this type of phenomenon.
This letter also highlights the questioning of teaching practices as well as situations of student discomfort. The principal’s correspondence with his superiors even speaks of a “mail of death and rape threats” circulating between students. A parent of a student sent an email to the college principal accusing the teacher of having prevented her son from expressing himself during the art class. Teachers at the Yvelinois college exercised their right of withdrawal the day after the incident, Friday December 8, 2023.
What is this work by Giuseppe Cesari?
Diana and Actaeon, work of the Italian painter Giuseppe Cesari known as the Cavalier d’Arpin was created in the first quarter of the 17th century. A mythological scene, it represents the drama of Actaeon, taken from the Metamorphoses of Ovid. For surprising Diana and her nymphs bathing, Actaeon was devoured by his pack after being transformed into a deer. It has been one of the favorite themes of painting since the Renaissance. There are two versions of this painting today, one at the Louvre Museum in Paris and the other at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.