A tribute was held on Sunday in Éragny-sur-Oise, town of origin of Samuel Paty, the teacher tragically murdered on October 16, 2020 in Yvelines, west of Paris. This event brought together various officials, including Othman Nasrou, Secretary of State for Citizenship, who gave a poignant speech.
Thibault Humbert, mayor of Éragny-sur-Oise, opened the speeches, emphasizing that Samuel Paty represented a strong symbol of freedom of expression. At the same time, Othman Nasrou mentioned the national tribute planned for Monday, where a minute of silence will be observed throughout France. “The government to which I belong will not be satisfied with simple symbolic gestures,” he declared, affirming the commitment to concrete actions.
This tribute occurs while the trial to determine responsibility for the death of Samuel Paty is scheduled for early November. On October 16, 2020, this history and geography teacher was assassinated by a young man of Chechen origin, Abdoullakh Anzorov, after presenting caricatures to his students. These drawings came from Charlie Hebdo and represented the prophet Mohamed.
The controversy surrounding this teaching was exacerbated by a viral video broadcast by Brahim Chnina, a parent of a student. This video, criticizing Samuel Paty, raised awareness of Abdelhakim Sefrioui, community activist, who in turn posted a video calling Paty a “thug”. These online publications made it easier for his murderer to identify and locate the teacher.
Brahim Chnina and Abdelhakim Sefrioui now face prosecution for “terrorist criminal association”, which underlines the seriousness of the consequences of their actions.
