Surrounded by controversy, Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and affiliated with the Les Républicains (LR), has raised eyebrows with his call for legislative amendments to facilitate the implementation of facial recognition in high schools. This proposal, aimed at beefing up security in educational institutions, has polarized opinions and ignited debates about privacy rights and surveillance boundaries.
On October 20, during a plenary assembly of the community, Wauquiez voiced his appeal, emphasizing the need to enhance security measures in response to the potential terrorist threats that could affect educators and students. He not only wishes to see stricter access control in French educational establishments but is also advocating for the widespread implementation of facial recognition software.
As an ardent supporter of this initiative, Wauquiez offers to collaborate with the French government by sharing their experience and effective strategies in bolstering high school security. Previous recommendations for experimental sites to the Minister of National Education, Gabriel Attal, attest to the president’s consistent interest in this sensitive topic.
Ignoring the criticism, Wauquiez asserts that legislative changes are the prerogative of elected officials, challenging the status quo of the counter-powers shaping democracy. He leverages the recent Arras tragedy, where a teacher was killed by a former pupil in an Islamist terror attack, to underscore his long-standing push for heightened security, reminding the public of his early efforts to install security gates in regional high schools.
