Following pressure exerted on Professor Fabrice Balanche by students affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood at Lyon 2 University, Laurent Wauquiez, former president of the Rhône-Alpes region and a candidate for the leadership of Les Républicains, announced that the region will cut public subsidies to the university. This decision confirms his shift to the Right ahead of the leadership battle within his party against Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
A few weeks ago, Professor Balanche had his class interrupted by students after he expressed his opposition to a banquet to break the Islamic fast held on the premises of Lyon 2 University. Laurent Wauquiez, who describes himself as a ‘friend’ of Balanche, said he would not make ‘any compromises with Islamism.’ Although no longer the regional president, Wauquiez continues to serve as a ‘special advisor’ to the institutions in France’s second-largest region and stated that the decision was made “with the regional president to withdraw all regional funding from this university until light is shed on its abuses.”
This move is not new for Laurent Wauquiez, who took similar action a few years ago against the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Grenoble, accused of community abuses and Islamo-leftism. While the budget cuts were limited during the Sciences Po affair, the stakes are much higher this time: the moratorium announced by the region amounts to €19 million.
In the Balanche case, the professor was able to count on the support of the Minister of Higher Education, but the university’s management remained stubbornly silent. “The Minister of Higher Education quickly called me to offer his support, while the president never called or wrote to me to offer her support. I just received an email after the incident suggesting that I move my classes to the city centre campus rather than Bron, for security reasons,” Balanche recalled.
The case of Lyon 2 University, known for its progressivism for years, was compounded by the resignation on May 5th of the university’s vice-president, Willy Beauvallet-Haddad, who is under investigation for condoning terrorism after praising Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, on social media.
At a time when Donald Trump is announcing drastic budget cuts for universities corrupted by the progressive left—starting with the prestigious Harvard institution—Wauquiez’ stance against Lyon 2 University demonstrates the presidential candidate’s willingness to take a right-wing stance to distance himself from his main rival, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, whom he accuses of making too many compromises with Macron’s camp.
This trend was also confirmed by a recent interview on CNews, during which Wauquiez paid tribute to Sarah Knafo, MEP for Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête party. “I have a lot of respect for Sarah Knafo. She is someone who is talented in economics, security and immigration. I believe in bringing together all French people who share right-wing values,” he explained on the conservative television channel, appealing to the unity of the French Right.
It remains to be seen whether these statements will be enough to reverse the trend for him, as his rival is widely tipped to win the party leadership election on May 17th and 18th.