Overview

• On April 1, 2025, masked militants disrupted Fabrice Balanche's lecture at Lyon-2, accusing him of racism and Islamophobia, prompting an ongoing prosecutor's investigation.
• University President Isabelle von Bueltzingsloewen condemned the attack as 'intolerable' but also criticized Balanche for his public comments on campus radicalization, calling them 'affligeantes' and 'complotistes.'
• Balanche, a Middle East specialist, has expressed shock at the president’s remarks and is considering legal counsel while maintaining his comments were purely analytical.
• Colleagues and national figures, including François Bayrou and Élisabeth Borne, have criticized the university's response, raising concerns about academic freedom and institutional governance.
• The university's board of directors is set to address the incident in an upcoming meeting, as tensions over secularism, free expression, and campus activism continue to escalate.