University of Lorraine Launches Probe into Alleged Racist Student Messages

Is the University of Lorraine in France being taken over by a rise in racism? This is at least what its communications director seems to confirm. David Diné, who explained himself last Saturday to AFP, said he had been alerted by "social networks about the fact that a private Messenger (Facebook’s messaging service, editor’s note) group of sociology students in Metz was apparently a receptacle for racist remarks and videos mocking black students and teachers".

An act strongly condemned

This affair, which according to Mr. Diné was revealed "on the occasion of an outing, when a young woman took screenshots of the conversations of this group and posted them on social networks", has shocked more than one person. Diop, a Senegalese sociology student on the campus who takes the same courses as the group in question, claims that "the racist messages would have targeted about ten black students, including myself". He will be supported in his position by the student union, which has published a statement calling "the university community to provide firm responses".

The Minister of Higher Education did not remain on the sidelines of this wave of condemnations. For Frédérique Vidal, there must be "zero tolerance for these unacceptable behaviors on our campuses as elsewhere". In a tweet, she says she trusts the university authorities who will apply sanctions to the perpetrators.