A school of political science founded in Lyon by Marion Maréchal MEP has been vandalised by Antifa-style militants, protesting the visit of Transmania author Marguerite Stern, who was scheduled to give a lecture on transgender ideology.
The Institute of Social, Economic and Political Sciences (Institut de Sciences Sociales, Economiques et Politiques, or ISSEP) set itself the goal of training a new elite of committed people who are off the beaten track of ‘woke’ correctness—allowing Maréchal to continue her political struggle by other means. It boasts a teaching team keen to host personalities who speak a different political language.
Stern’s visit is scheduled for Thursday, September 19th. In an attempt to prevent the conference from taking place, antifascist groups in Lyon launched an intimidation campaign against the university. After sending threats by email and on social media, the activists took action by spray-painting graffiti on the façade of the institute, which read, among other things, “hi, trans fight back!”, or “Stern get lost”.
Transgender activists are calling for the pressure to be maintained and for a demonstration to be organised, in the hope of getting the organisers to back down and cancel their conference. This has happened previously, such as in Nantes, where a Spring of 2023 conference featuring Marguerite Stern had to be cancelled in the face of threats.The ISSEP management announced that it has no intention of giving in to destabilisation manoeuvres. According to ISSEP founders Marion Maréchal and Thibault Monnier in a press release:
If the extreme left thinks it can make us back down under pressure, it knows very little about us. We are delighted to welcome Marguerite Stern to our premises and we will give her our warmest welcome.
The school has video recordings of the attackers that have been passed on to the police along with a complaint.
Marguerite Stern confirmed on X that she would indeed be visiting ISSEP, under police protection, but also under private protection.
Ce jeudi 19 Septembre, j’interviendrai à l’@ISSEP_France dans le cadre d’une conférence intitulée « Comment l’idéologie transgenre détruit des vies ».
— Marguerite Stern (@Margueritestern) September 11, 2024
Aujourd’hui, les « antifas » lyonnais ont dégradé la façade de l’école et vandalisé sa serrure pour s’opposer à ma venue.
Je… pic.twitter.com/UlCCf80Gc8
“It’s not fear, but a certain contempt that I feel,” added Stern in her post. A few months ago, she told us that she had definitively broken with the Left by becoming aware of its imposture and its repeated violence, in defiance of the freedom of expression that she cherishes and defends.