Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education and Research, February 23, 2021. -

AFP

Frédérique Vidal again caught up with her comments on "Islamo-leftism".

The CGT, FSU and South research and higher education unions are calling for his departure from the ministry on Friday, condemning "without appeal" his remarks on the university.

According to them, the Minister of Higher Education and Research "crossed the red line" by asking the CNRS in February to investigate the militancy linked to "Islamo-leftism" in academic research.

"Not only does the minister stigmatize colleagues and their research by designating them for public revenge using a vocabulary borrowed from the extreme right, but, in the same vein, she deals a severe blow to academic freedoms by asking the CNRS to carry out an investigation as if it were a low-level police affair, ”writes this inter-union grouping in particular the SNTRS-CGT, the SNEP-FSU, Sud Education, Sud Recherche and the Confédération des jeunes researchers.

A report requested by the Minister

According to them, Frédérique Vidal "must leave because she has lost all credibility with the community".

"We need a minister who respects the fundamental principle of the independence of scientific research and who tackles the dramatic consequences of the health crisis", they add, joining the call of trade unions. students for a day of mobilization against precariousness on March 16.

On February 14 on CNews, Frédérique Vidal had pointed to "Islamo-leftism", which in her eyes "plagues society as a whole, and the university is not impermeable", then asked the CNRS for a "balance sheet" in order to distinguish between academic research and activism.

Her remarks sparked strong protests within the scientific community - more than 600 academics have called for the minister's resignation - and from the political class.

Politics

"Islamo-leftism": Frédérique Vidal explains but persists

Society

Distress of students, criticism of its action ... Why Frédérique Vidal is going through a bad patch

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  • Higher Education

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