A father in southwestern France has been sentenced to six months in prison for threatening to behead his son's teacher.
Abdelkader B., 47, of Le Fauga, made the threats on September 4, 2026, after a meeting with the school's principal. The Toulouse Criminal Court heard that he approached the teacher and, using an informal address, questioned why his son was called a "little thug." While the father initially denied the allegations, he later testified that he "lost it" when the teacher's tone escalated. He stated, "If you were a man, I would have cut your head off."
Witness testimonies and the victim's account indicated the initial threat occurred in the school parking lot. The father then followed the teacher into the school, where another teacher overheard him say, "don't be surprised if tomorrow [my son] comes with a knife and stabs you."
During the fast-track hearing, held just six days after the incident, the teacher's representative, Ms. Momasso Momasso, stated that the teacher "saw herself ending up like Samuel Paty." She emphasized the gravity of the remarks, noting the perpetrator's awareness of "the country's scars," referring to the 2020 beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Ms. Momasso, who also represents the Toulouse education authority, asserted that such threats are "no longer tolerable in France in 2026" and that teachers should not have to fear going to work.
Abdelkader B. apologized in court, stating he was "really not proud" and not a violent person. In addition to his prison sentence, he has been ordered to attend a citizenship course and is prohibited from approaching the victim or contacting the school for three years.
In response to the incident and rising concerns for educator safety, French Education Minister Edouard Geffray stated, "No teacher should be afraid to do their job. Attacking one of them is attacking the entire institution."
A new law, spearheaded by Minister Geffray and passed in July, allows for children to be moved to different schools if they are involved in incidents posing a significant risk to staff. The boy and his younger sister are expected to be transferred to a school outside of Le Fauga.