Pupil threatens teacher with fake gun in the middle of the classroom

Paris - The whole of France is talking about this incident: A high school student from a Paris suburb threatened a teacher with a fake gun, according to video footage.

In a video of the incident circulating on social media, the boy can be seen with a gun in his hand, which he points at his teacher sitting at a desk.

He asks her: "You sign me in as absent." Then he corrects himself: "You sign me in as present." Laughter can be heard in the background. Only later does it become clear that the weapon is a dummy.

Nevertheless, the pupil, who according to various media reports is 15 or 16 years old, has caused outrage right up to the very top of the state. The heads of education and home affairs, Jean-Michel Blanquer and Christophe Castaner, announced an action plan to prevent such incidents.

President Emmanuel Macron also spoke out. "It is unacceptable to threaten a teacher", he announced on Twitter. Such acts should not only be punished, but banned from schools for good.

The "attack" had already occurred last Thursday in Créteil, just a few kilometers north of Paris. According to the media, the teenager was initially taken into police custody. The judiciary opened a preliminary investigation on Sunday evening.

The teenager was then released, as the AFP news agency reported. The teacher, who was sitting at a computer and remained calm according to the video recordings, filed a complaint.

The background to the attack was apparently the strict attendance controls in French schools. It is not unusual for parents to be notified immediately if a pupil is absent.