Gavin Mortimer at The Spectator writes of a provincial French town whose mayor wanted to honour Samuel Paty. It is a small tale that tells a big story. One which shows that the moral courage we need to ensure that extremists find that they are the isolated ones is, sadly, in short supply: The reason […]
Why French Teachers Are Afraid
Agnes Poirier at Unherd considers how religious separatism and an unwillingness to address questions of nation and commonality in France is making the life of teachers increasingly difficult. Thankfully not all pay the ultimate price for free speech as Samuel Paty did, and there are still brave individuals who won’t self-censor: When she speaks, Fatiha […]
Open letter: a response from the ‘100’ French scholars
Following the murder of school teacher Samuel Paty, over 100 French academics published a Manifesto supporting a universalist approach to education. They were denounced as ‘deeply disingenuous’ and ‘profoundly dangerous’ in an open letter by a group of academics mostly from English-speaking universities. Here, in a robust response to their critics, the French scholars argue that […]
The Sound Of Silence
We are used to media stories of students calling for universities to act against many ‘isms’ and phobias, and often the line between their own thoughts and beliefs, and those of academic/activists is hard to discern. So it is especially heartening to see that so many Oxford students have spoken out against their institutions silence […]
Is France’s Secularism Worth Dying For?
In the wake of recent Islamist attacks in France, John Lichfield at Unherd considers Macron’s attempts to create a buffer between moderate Muslims and Islamists. His verdict? Flawed, but what else is to be done? Mr Paty’s lone murder has struck a raw and angry nerve in France – and not just because of the […]