The French cabinet has approved a new bill on “strengthening republican values”. Although already in the pipeline, it was given fresh impetus after the beheading of French history teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to his pupils during a lesson on free speech. The gruesome murder shows how difficult it can be to teach children about the issues of secularism and free speech, as well as the pressure parents put on teachers and the lack of training and support from schools. Salomé Saqué, Jonathan Walsh, Karim Yahiaoui and James Vasina report.
Teaching secularism in France: Mission impossible?
