University Suspends Professor Amid Racism Allegations at French Tech Institute

In a statement, the presidency of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines explained that this is a precautionary suspension aimed at "putting an end to a manifest disturbance to public order." "Today, the urgency is to restore normal operating conditions to welcome students and teachers and ensure the educational continuity of the IUT," the university said, adding that this measure "is not intended to make an assessment of the merits of the case."

The facts date back to February 9, 2023. According to witnesses, the teacher in question would have assaulted a student, and would have uttered an insult - "Dirty Arab" and would have assimilated the Muslim students to a "pig’s tail". On Tuesday, about fifty of them organized a blockade to denounce the alleged actions of the professor. The student "had been complaining of harassment for at least two months," Thierry Côme, the president of the IUT, told BFM Paris Île-de-France. On the same day, the university opened an internal investigation.

For its part, the General Inspectorate of Education, Sports and Research (IGESR) is conducting a "mission" commissioned by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.