Stéphane Burgatt 7:44 a.m., March 1, 2024

In Nîmes, parents and teachers at the Georges Bruguier school are increasingly worried about drug trafficking which has taken over the Chemin-bas district of Avignon, where the establishment is located.

Last Monday, the majority of teachers were on sick leave, traumatized by the repeated shootings. 

Taking your children to school with fear in your stomach.

A reality in Nîmes for the parents of students at the Georges Bruguier school and for teachers.

Drug trafficking has taken over the entire Chemin-bas district of Avignon where the establishment is located.

Monday, the day of resumption, the majority of teachers were on sick leave, traumatized by the repeated shootings.

The last one, just before winter break, put students and staff in danger. 

“We are no longer safe”

A tragedy narrowly avoided, testifies this teacher.

That afternoon, she returned from a school trip with the CP class.

But as they get off the bus, a shooting breaks out.

"I'm on the ground, behind coach seats at the back of the bus. It's our paltry security, a tin can. I hear gunshots. I see men running in all directions, including towards us. We put the children to safety first. It's surreal. It's a scene of urban war, but it's not the first we've experienced," she laments on the microphone. Europe 1.

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All of them effectively denounce the recurring intrusions and threats from dealers.

As a result, a school that is running slowly today, like this mother, many parents keep their child at home.

"We are no longer safe, even at school. My daughter, she saw the young people in hoods, the pistols, the Kalashnikovs. She no longer wants to go to school even to go out or something. She tells me ' no mom, we're not going through that, I'm afraid'", she says.

Some teachers are disappointed.

If we don't find a solution, we might as well relocate the school.

Unthinkable, according to the municipal security deputy, Richard Schieven, who defends the record of the police. 

“We have CRS-type mobile force units in the territory. There are around 45 people who have been put behind bars. But we still have difficulty getting these sectors completely cleaned up,” explains he.

The fault, according to him, is a lack of staff.

A police source confirms that the police station would need 80 additional reinforcements.