A Paris criminal court has acquitted Éric Zemmour, members of his Reconquête party, and National Rally officials of defamation after they criticized a teacher who planned a school trip to a pro-migrant association near the Calais migrant camps.
The case centered on Sophie Djigo, a philosophy teacher in Valenciennes, who organized a study visit to Calais for preparatory school students as part of a project on exile, migration, and borders. The outing involved meeting volunteers from a refugee aid association operating close to one of France’s most politically sensitive migrant hotspots.
As reported by Charlie Hebdo, nationalist figures publicly criticized the trip back in November 2022, arguing that students were being exposed to one-sided pro-migration activism under the banner of education. Zemmour denounced what he called “grand indoctrination in service of the Great Replacement.”
The controversy spread after Parents Vigilants, a group linked to Reconquête, published details of the proposed trip. Local National Rally figures also criticized the project, and the Lille education authority eventually canceled the outing on security grounds.
Djigo said the backlash led to online abuse, threats, police protection, time away from work, and eventually a transfer to another school. Five people were separately given suspended prison sentences this year for cyberbullying.
The ongoing defamation case against nine public figures, however, ended in acquittal on Tuesday, with the court citing a lack of substantial evidence.
Djigo told Libération after the ruling, “I was hoping for their conviction, but I lost.” Her lawyer, however, confirmed her intention to appeal the ruling.
Parents Vigilants has committed itself to fighting what it describes as woke” ideology and indoctrination in schools. The group says its aim is to expose activist influence in education and defend parental oversight.
Djigo, who founded the Migrations 59 association in 2018, which aims to support and assist migrants and asylum seekers in northern France, denies acting as a party-political activist and says her work is linked to human rights and dignity. She has said the controversy did not make her give up teaching or her research interests.
