Four years after the beheading of your brother by an Islamist terrorist, you published “Le cours de Monsieur Paty” with Albin Michel. This book contains all of the slides that served as support for his course. Why is this important?
It was in the name of this famous course that he was killed. It was necessary to show that this course was in no way “Islamophobic” and that all the resources used came from National Education. In his course, my brother intended to bring together freedom of expression and freedom of conscience. This is why he suggested that all students see or not see the Charlie Hebdo caricatures. He didn’t impose it.
So it wasn’t an activist course?
Under no circumstances. The next day, he responds to the mother of an upset student while leaving class. He explains to her that her daughter does not have to come to class as an atheist, as she feared, but as a secularist. That she therefore does not have to leave her faith at the door, unlike ostentatious signs which do not have to enter an educational establishment.
That same day was born the cabal that would lead to the death of Samuel Paty. In this fatal spiral, we find a schoolgirl who lies, her father who relays his words, an Islamist agitator who gives them even more resonance. And a radicalized terrorist who didn’t make any noise…
Those who carry out the act deliberately try to remain as little visible as possible in order to be able to bring their macabre plans to fruition. But the term “lone wolves” is a misnomer. There are, around them, a bunch of protagonists who add fuel to the fire or can help them with some form of logistics.
Did your brother tell you about the threats he received following his course?
No, he hasn’t contacted anyone in my family. At the time, our father was hospitalized. We were all trying not to bring any additional worry. And then, at several points, my brother was made to believe that the situation was under control. Which didn’t stop him from being worried, to the point of carrying a hammer in his backpack the day he died.
You have reconstructed the chronology of his last eleven days. At the end of this survey, who do you blame most?
The answer is complicated. First, of course, to the attacker (Abdullakh Anzorov, shot shortly after the assassination by police officers, Editor’s note). Then to all those who gravitated around him and allowed him to act. But what is fundamental to understand is that when we remain inactive in the face of evil, the latter always wins in the end. At some point we will have to study precisely the accumulation of faults which led to the death of my brother. If we don’t do this, there will inevitably be a recurrence. The tragic aftershock of Dominique Bernard’s death proves it.
Is this why you decided to attack the state?
Yes, and because many of my questions remain unanswered. What I’m waiting for, in a way, is to be provided with the exponential version of my book.
Since the attack, what have we learned collectively?
In four years, things have hardly changed. Certainly, we observe a certain form of reactivity, with ministers who travel when incidents are reported. But then what really happens? I was interviewed in the Senate in 2023. Six months later, a damning report was published highlighting the “terrible loneliness” of teachers and showing the extent to which they are threatened. No one, at present, has taken possession of it to have corrective measures adopted. We are still not sufficiently armed to respond to this Islamist threat which is plaguing schools.
Even if the statistics improve this year?
I’m not sure all the facts are reported. According to the many contacts I have in the teaching world, the “no waves” is still at work.
Which teacher was your brother?
He was passionate about his work. He spent hours preparing his lessons, with great rigor. He was convinced that this profession of teacher is the most important because it allows us to raise children. That it is through school that we can emancipate ourselves.
These are important symbolic messages. This invites everyone to work to ensure that this tragic event does not happen again.
In your book, you mention the former college students sentenced, in December 2023, for having guided the terrorist. You report that one of them accepted your invitation to testify alongside you at the colleges. Could this have been done?
This young person only became an adult this year and he is still serving his sentence. For the moment, this is therefore not possible. I think, moreover, that he still has to work on maturing all these events. I actually hope, as he announced at the trial, that he will one day come to an establishment to explain why, at a given moment, we can make the wrong choice.
After the juvenile trial, the adult trial will begin in November. What do you expect?
Indictments, not much. I am not sure that their testimonies shed any light on the reality of the events. But what I expect from justice is that it is firm and shows that it is not fooled.
What would be the most urgent message to convey today?
That denouncing radical Islamists is not denouncing Muslims. You have to open your eyes. There are offensives. Those who wish us harm are there. Every day, the school is undermined. Refusing to denounce it goes against our survival instinct.
