This Monday, April 22, due to the resumption of classes after the holidays, students found themselves outside the institution trying to “put this story aside”, before learning that their teachers were finally on strike.
“Wait, did I have the wrong day or what? I didn’t see anyone on the road,” we hear around 8:30 a.m. in front of Arthur-Rimbaud College this Monday, April 22, the day we resume after the Holidays. The young girl calls her class teacher, who had no information that classes would resume at 9:30 a.m. All the more so that in the end it will not continue, the professors decided to go on strike, but the students are still accepted in the premises of the establishment.
But before entering the college, several groups gradually form in the square. Before the bell rings, everyone returns to their recess and says goodbye. Like a classic return to school after two weeks off.
Only the presence of a dozen police officers in front of the school reminds us that on April 2, a few days before the start of the school holidays, Samara, a student of the 4th grade, was beaten up by other young men a few hundred meters away. .
The police entered the school in force this Monday.
No fear, no fear for safety
“We’re not afraid of going to college,” explains a small group of 6th graders. According to their statements, this attack did not affect them, they did not know either the victim or the attackers…
A little further on, two 5th-grade students cautiously remain. “We know Samara, it’s shocking what happened, but we’re not afraid, it’s a special case.” And use that to make this “affair” useful: “At least now we know that we have to talk to our parents about it immediately as soon as we have problems…”
As for the rare parents who leave their children, there is no fear. “What happened is an isolated case of high school students, but not in high school, it’s actually because of social media,” explains the student’s mother. “Especially because here, harassment is closely monitored and teachers are very quick to respond to any report.”
Students from his class who witnessed the attack
But a few are still flagged: “We were very challenged with this story,” explains a high school student who takes Samara’s class. “It’s over now,” he says. Another adds: “We are not afraid, we talked a lot about aggression in class, we could have gone to a psychological clinic to get through the story.”
Both witnessed the lynching in Samara. “We were hanging out outside Lidl when we saw the crowd in the distance, I’m still replaying the scene in my head.” The young man tries to convince himself that he moved on, but specifies: “I could not intervene, it was not possible, there were twenty of them around”, with that remorse that still torments him. “It was violent, it was impossible to separate them, I don’t see how I could…”
Even if he states that he was not necessarily friends with the victim, he does not remain indifferent. “We are not allowed to see her and the police took some news from her through a Snapchat group. She was able to use her mother’s cell phone…” Samara also replied that she will be back in class very soon. . For that, they say in the rectory, we will have to wait a little longer. He will follow the classes at home while he recovers. If he decides to come back…