On January 10, 2015, in the wake of the barbaric attacks targeting Charlie Hebdo, I expressed my indignation both as a citizen and as the head of a high school. The Republic was marred on that Wednesday, January 7, 2015. Freedom was tarnished, and fraternity was trampled. As stated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, 'The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious rights of man.'
In 2015, we collectively demonstrated a strength and resilience worthy of the stakes involved, embodying the common good represented by the values upheld by our Republic.
Never yielding to fears, fantasies, or various hatreds was then, and still is today, the only guiding principle that truly matters. This dignified attitude of every citizen, imbued with a democratic spirit, was the guarantee of our ability to overcome this heinous act, which stained the flag of our Republic.
Because criminals at that time murdered men and women who, before being journalists or police officers, were first and foremost human beings. Before being Muslims, Jews, Catholics, agnostics, or atheists, they were our fellow human beings, fighting together to ensure that men and women of diverse religious beliefs, philosophical thoughts, and backgrounds could live together. It was freedom that was assassinated.
Ten years later, what remains of that indignation and collective awakening? Today, we live in a time filled with hesitations, various fragilities, and strained connections in an increasingly violent world.
The 'schools' of the Republic and within the Republic must impart a true common culture of respect, reinstating the melting pot that allows everyone to live peacefully with their neighbor. Both students and adults must learn more than ever to reject intolerance, hatred, racism, and all forms of discrimination that are merely violence in all its forms.
The 'schools' of the Republic have a duty to educate about all forms of freedom: of conscience, thought, writing, and expression in the most diverse ways, whether through writing, speech, or any other form of art. Thus, each individual can acquire, through school and teachers, the tools to give meaning to their own life.
Finally, and perhaps as the keystone of it all, the 'schools of the Republic' provide meaning to the other foundational values of our democracy: equality and fraternity, as well as secularism, which guarantees respect for all and tolerance towards each individual. Because in our Republic, no discrimination has a place. Together, united by these principles and values, let us be dignified, remain steadfast, and never forget that what diminishes humanity is the poison of our coexistence, a poison that can only lead extremism and fanaticism to annihilate a Peace that has been so dearly earned by past generations, in Europe and around the world.
These words are more necessary than ever to address the ills that plague our society. Generations who did not experience January 7, 2015, may be swayed by an anti-Charlie sentiment, living through a proxy rewriting of history through approximations and lies disseminated by social networks. Vigilance is more imperative than ever, and it is indeed ink that must always flow, not blood!