A 14-year-old who stabbed his art teacher told French police he attacked her because he had 'too much hatred,' a prosecutor has said. The 60-year-old woman's condition remains a 'serious concern' after she was stabbed three to four times in her chest in front of 22 students in south-eastern France on Tuesday, a local official reported. Toulon prosecutor Raphaël Balland stated that the boy had premeditated the attack, having taken the knife from his kitchen with the 'intention of stabbing his teacher.' La Guicharde school in Sanary-sur-Mer was evacuated after the incident, and lessons were canceled for the following day.
Balland noted that there was no known religious or political motivation for the stabbing. The student was reportedly upset that the teacher had reported several disciplinary incidents against him, which he deemed 'unfair.' The teenager expressed regret for the attack, feeling more hatred for himself than towards the victim. A decision on his pre-trial detention will be made upon his court appearance. The victim, who has been at the school for 28 years, is currently stabilized after surgery but still in serious condition at Sainte-Anne Military Hospital in Toulon.
This incident is part of a worrying trend of attacks by students in French schools. Last year, a 14-year-old was charged with murder for allegedly stabbing a teaching assistant to death, and another incident involved a student killing a girl in a knife attack in Nantes. Education minister Édouard Geffray described the latest incident as 'unacceptable' and highlighted the rise in violence in schools as reflective of broader societal issues, requiring collective efforts to address the underlying causes.
Balland noted that there was no known religious or political motivation for the stabbing. The student was reportedly upset that the teacher had reported several disciplinary incidents against him, which he deemed 'unfair.' The teenager expressed regret for the attack, feeling more hatred for himself than towards the victim. A decision on his pre-trial detention will be made upon his court appearance. The victim, who has been at the school for 28 years, is currently stabilized after surgery but still in serious condition at Sainte-Anne Military Hospital in Toulon.
This incident is part of a worrying trend of attacks by students in French schools. Last year, a 14-year-old was charged with murder for allegedly stabbing a teaching assistant to death, and another incident involved a student killing a girl in a knife attack in Nantes. Education minister Édouard Geffray described the latest incident as 'unacceptable' and highlighted the rise in violence in schools as reflective of broader societal issues, requiring collective efforts to address the underlying causes.
