Editorial. Nogent tragedy: public authorities helpless in the face of violence

If only a piece of legislation were enough. If only deterrent penalties were enough. If only installing security gates like in the United States were enough. And if. After Monday's tragedy in Nogent, where a supervisor was stabbed to death, the speculation is back. After every school tragedy, the reactions are more or less the same. Shared pain, of course, but also the resort to solutions that have already failed: stepping up searches, attempting to regulate the circulation of bladed weapons on the internet, and denouncing the "ultraviolence" of minors. Of course, here and there, there is mention of cell phone use or video game addiction. In short, arguments that betray the powerlessness, even fear, of public authorities. So, of course, there will be multiple speakers calling for tougher sentences. Classic. The Prime Minister himself mentioned "deterrent" sanctions. Dissuade: To prevent a teenager from acting out of fear of potential consequences. Reading this sentence, it's clear that dissuasion is just an adult word for adults, by adults. A slogan.

In this unknown continent that is adolescence in the 21st century, the prevailing codes, the anxieties, and even the hopes, escape us. It is high time that we—parents, teachers, and political decision-makers—take an interest in what is going on in the minds of the rising generation. What modern society is sowing there, what is parasitizing their youth, what can be changed. Call it education, mental health, or prevention. It doesn't matter what name we choose: it is the only major national cause worthwhile if we want to tackle the problem with full knowledge of the facts. Without this effort at understanding, more innocent people will die without us truly knowing why, one Monday morning, a 14-year-old boy attacked a 31-year-old supervisor.