On Friday evening, the rule of law and its values came under attack. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
A state of emergency has been declared by the President of the Republic and, in accordance with instructions from the prefectoral and rectoral authorities, the Collège was closed on Saturday and will remain closed today. Only those activities necessary for the continuity of services and ongoing laboratory experiments have been maintained.
The Collège will open on Monday November 16. Security controls will be reinforced to meet the requirements of the state of emergency. The Collège is an establishment open to the public, which means indoor events, and the Préfecture de Police advises us to postpone, if possible, all public events scheduled for the coming days.
I would remind you that any opening is subject to a declaration to the police station and involves my strict responsibility. I therefore ask you to understand these constraints and to accept the necessary reinforcement of control measures.
Pending further instructions, I would ask all my teaching colleagues and all teaching-research, research, administrative and engineering staff to postpone their trips abroad whenever possible, and to limit them within France.
A three-day national mourning period has just been declared by the President of the Republic, and the Collège de France joins in: our flags are at half-mast, and a time of collective reflection will be held at noon on Monday in the Cour d'Honneur of the Marcelin Berthelot site.
The shockwave that has swept through our country has spread beyond its borders, as evidenced by the many messages of sympathy we have received.
We must be vigilant and ensure that security is as impeccable as possible.
We must also show that we are strong, and not allow a culture of fear to take root, as the enemies of our freedoms and the values at the heart of our institution would wish.
