by Stefano Montefiori
The boy was in eighth grade in Golbey in the Vosges. For months he had been mocked by four companions because of his homosexuality. He had expressed his uneasiness to his mother and teachers
FROM OUR PARIS CORRESPONDENTS Today in Epinal, eastern France, is the private funeral of Lucas, the 13-year-old boy who killed himself a week ago after months of being mocked at school for being gay. After her death, it was discovered that Lucas had written in his intimate journal intentions to kill himself. The eighth grader at the Louis Armand school in Golbey in the Vosges had expressed his uneasiness to his mother and his teachers, who had intervened. Not enough, Lucas hanged himself.
His death has triggered great emotions in France, also because the topic of bullying is much discussed. Prime Minister Brigitte Macron often intervenes on this matter and the associations that defend the rights of LGBT people are very attentive and vigilant. Lucas’ tragedy was also shocking because he had spoken to his family about the psychological violence he had suffered at school, at the hands of four classmates in particular, and the parents had contacted the school administration, even without reporting it to the police reimburse The ongoing investigation aims to clarify whether the school’s response was appropriate or whether Lucas Leiden was underestimated.
Interviews with relatives of the teenager, conducted as part of the investigation into the cause of death, revealed homophobic mockery and insults that Lucas faced from other students, Pinal prosecutor Fdric Nahon says. The investigation launched last Wednesday must confirm the reality of the harassment Lucas allegedly suffered, its duration, the precise content of the comments and behavior reported and verify the various measures taken.
Lucas’ family had not filed a complaint of harassment, but the incidents had been reported to school administrators, who spoke to the students. The boy’s mother and her lawyer will be received by Pinal’s prosecutor next week.
Lucas and his mother had spoken to the teachers earlier in the school year in September and the facts were immediately taken seriously by the middle school teams, who showed great vigilance on a daily basis and maintained the bond with the student and his family, he defends Rectorate.
But not everyone graduates from school. He was a teenager who always had a smile on his face, attentive, spontaneous, full of dreams and desires – says Stphanie, a family friend -. But he was regularly teased for his clothes, manners and looks. He was a person of integrity, so he didn’t hide. That might annoy some people who didn’t dare to be integrity guards like him. When he came home from school, he often complained about what he was experiencing. The mother called for help several times. The school environment in which he spent three quarters of his time did not respond as it should have.
Before the funeral, the mother wrote a letter that was read on TV: How many white marches do we have to organize? How many children will suffer, how many families will be so cruelly affected, and brothers and sisters amputated, before concrete action is finally taken to ensure that every child enjoys the right to school without molestation? I will dedicate my life to Lucas’ fight.
The four students identified by the teenager as bullies were summoned and given a very harsh reprimand, said Valrie Daustreme, department head at the Department of Education. The Epinal Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the molestation of a 15-year-old minor.
I think of all the students like him who have been bullied: their desperation underpins my determination to prevent any form of harassment, Education Minister Pap Ndiaye said.
Jan 14, 2023 (change Jan 14, 2023 | 1:45 p.m.)
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