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 reminds me of the quiet passion and forceful clarity of my History teachers when I was at school in 1980s Paris. The strength of her argument lies in its intelligibility: she does not use the deceitful jargon of ideologues. Everybody from the age of 7 could understand her when she talks of what makes a nation, and how individuals of different origins can embrace a common destiny and common values.