>> Hauling back on the stick and just keeping it there would never have been the right decision under any circumstances.
From the BEA report [0]:
"The horizontal bar then indicated a slight nose-up order compared with the aeroplane symbol."
and
"Nevertheless, the PF was also confronted with the stall warning, which conflicted with his impression of an overspeed. The transient activations of the warning after
the autopilot disconnection may have caused the crew to doubt its credibility.
Furthermore, the fact that the flight director was advising a nose-up attitude may have confirmed the PF’s belief that the stall warning was not relevant"
From the BEA report [0]:
"The horizontal bar then indicated a slight nose-up order compared with the aeroplane symbol."
and
"Nevertheless, the PF was also confronted with the stall warning, which conflicted with his impression of an overspeed. The transient activations of the warning after the autopilot disconnection may have caused the crew to doubt its credibility.
Furthermore, the fact that the flight director was advising a nose-up attitude may have confirmed the PF’s belief that the stall warning was not relevant"
(my highlight)
[0] https://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/f-cp090601.en/pdf/f-cp09060...