Juvenile Abuse: “Authority Rise”, Boarding Schools, Disruptive Students… What to Remember from Gabriel Attal’s Speech

Nothing was left to chance on this trip. Neither the city, recently marked by the death of 15-year-old Shemseddin, who was beaten outside his college, nor the theme of his speech about “power at the heart of the republic.”

On his hundredth day in Matignon, accompanied by Ministers Nicole Belloubet (Education) and Eric Dupont-Moretti (Justice), Minister Delegate Sarah El-Khairy (Childhood, Youth, Family) and Secretary of State Sabrina Agresti-Rubache (City and Citizenship), Gabriel Attal gave a long speech this Thursday at 11 am in front of the town hall of Viry-Châtillon (Essonne).

On the way to a “tide of authority”

A resident of Matignon was the first to try to explain the violence that some teenagers suffer from. In his opinion, parents have their own role and responsibility. The Prime Minister particularly noted the role of social networks, “ideological enteralism”, self-elimination, as well as “the weakness of our past reactions”, which suggest the failure of power.

He also deplored the “violence of some of our teenagers” and called for a “true surge in power” to “reverse this form of power-decreasing spiral.”

“Twice as many teenagers are involved in assault and battery, four times as many in drug trafficking, and seven times as many in armed robbery as in the general population,” the Prime Minister listed.

“Empowering retiring parents”

Gabriel Attal wants to focus on education to prevent young people from “falling into crime”. It promises to help parents, especially single mothers, and “empower retiring parents,” including parents who have left home, by inviting them to share in repairing the harm caused by their child.

He mentions the establishment of community service for parents who shirk their parental responsibilities. If they fail to persuade their child to appear in court, they may also be fined.

Boarding schools to root out ‘evil at the root’

Another announcement: The Prime Minister wants to force pupils to be in school from 8am to 6pm, “especially in priority areas”. He also wants to take advantage of work done in recent weeks on boarding schools, where he wants to send young people in case of deviation, “against the spiral of crime”.

“Eight weeks” to complete the “teamwork”

Gabriel Attal is leaving government for eight weeks to undertake a collective effort to find a “surge of power.” An update on progress will be published in four weeks. “Everyone will be gathered around the table to carry out scientific, political and technical work,” the Prime Minister said.

Measures “in classrooms”

The latter also emphasizes the role of education in the fight against crime. From a safety perspective, he says he wants to “protect schools and their surrounding areas.” But he also believes that “the battle for authority is won in classrooms.” However, “for the rule to be followed, it must be understood,” the Prime Minister assures.

350 additional schools will be provided

The security of another three hundred and fifty schools will be strengthened, in addition to the 150 that have already benefited from this measure, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal confirmed this Thursday.

“The school must remain a safe haven where violence will never take place,” insisted the head of government, Viry-Châtillon (Essonne), explaining that this meant “first and foremost the protection of schools and their surroundings.”

“Security for the 150 establishments identified as most at risk” has already been “strengthened,” he said, and “support for another 350 establishments will be provided shortly.”

The identification of these 350 institutions, which are among the “most sensitive,” “will be completed in the coming days, and after that, resources will arrive very quickly.” (…) I will personally take care of this,” the head of government confirmed.

Violators were “punished” when receiving diplomas

So he calls for common sense measures to be implemented in the next school year: “Stand up when the teacher enters the classroom, engage students in common tasks from an early age,” among other things. Gabriel Attal also proposes a measure that the ongoing consultation will consider: making notes in the files of disruptive students.

It is clear that disruptive students will be “punished” when they receive their diplomas, Gabriel Attal said, citing a “troublemaker” listed in the Parcoursup dossier of the students involved.

Anti-drug plan

“The fight against the addiction of part of our youth is the fight against drugs,” argues Gabriel Attal, who promises a new anti-drug plan, referring to the “XXL net area” plans implemented since March in France.

Direct performances and educational work

Gabriel Attal also suggests that “young people who have gone astray should come immediately to appear” to understand the rules. He also reports that in the coming days a circular will be signed on measures of educational work equivalent to work of general interest for minors under 15 years of age, which will come into force after the spring break.

It will also now be possible to require night supervision for some minors in educational institutions.

Specific measure of punishment

Gabriel Attal announced the introduction of a “criminal penalty measure” designed to give minors over 13 years of age the opportunity to plead guilty. It is clear that “for some offenses, if a young man admits the facts and accepts a sanction, it can now be implemented without waiting for a trial,” his circle clarifies.

Open debate on “minority justification”

Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti will “open the debate” to see whether “mitigation” of “minority acquittal”, a principle that means a minor is punished less severely than an adult, is “possible” and “desirable.” – announced Gabriel Attal. The Justice Minister will also consider introducing “immediate court appearance for young people aged 16” instead of 18, the Prime Minister said.

To monitor young people registered on social networks

The Prime Minister also called for “real and effective” controls on the age of young people signing up for social media, returning to his desire for a digital majority set at 15.

Justice and education

This speech gave the former education minister the opportunity to continue the theme already covered in his general political declaration. On January 30, before the National Assembly, he then returned to the rare violent urban riots that set towns and neighborhoods ablaze in the early summer of 2023. And he pronounced a sentence that remained in his memory: he repeated this Thursday: “You break, you fix, you dirty, you clean, you challenge the authorities, we teach you to respect it.”

According to Matignon, before making his speech this Thursday, the Prime Minister spoke with the teams and beneficiaries of MJC de Viry. “There has been a terrible tragedy here, we are seeing a form of unbridled violence,” he told several teenagers he met upon arriving at the scene.

At the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron asked his government to hold consultations to find solutions to the problem of “the rise of ultra-violence”, especially among the youngest. The Prime Minister must begin discussions with parliamentary groups and various stakeholders with a view to producing legislation before the summer.

Gabriel Attal’s hundredth day in Matignon will end with a long interview with BFMTV in which he must recall his method: to demonstrate “clarity” and even “recognize” what has worked or not since 2017, and then “make decisions” potentially “difficult and radical”. and “first of all, implement them.”