Overview

• The tribunal administratif de Lille annulled the December 2023 termination of Lycée Averroès's contract, citing lack of evidence for alleged severe violations of Republican values and procedural irregularities.
• The ruling reinstates state and local funding for the school, including teacher salaries, effective immediately for the next academic year.
• Enrollment at the school had dropped from 470 to 290 students, and tuition fees doubled after the funding suspension in September 2024.
• Government officials, including Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, criticized the decision, labeling the school a 'bastion of Islamist infiltration' and signaling intent to appeal.
• The case has intensified debates over secularism, religious education, and alleged discrimination, with left-wing MPs celebrating the ruling as a victory against Islamophobia.