In a packed courtroom, Bernadette Paty, the mother of the history professor murdered by a young radical Islamist, painted, this Friday, a moving and dignified portrait of her son, without trembling in the face of the eight accused involved in his assassination.
Very small in the impressive “major trials” room of the Paris courthouse, Bernadette Paty, in a twisted white vest, pink scarf around her neck, was the first of the family to speak. On the bench reserved for the family there is a child, Gabriel, nine and a half years old, the son of Samuel Paty, accompanied by his mother Jeanne A., the professor’s ex-partner. Samuel Paty’s two sisters, Mickaëlle and Gaëlle, supported by their loved ones, are also present as they have been every day since the trial opened on November 4.
I knew Samuel was going to show these Charlie Hebdo caricatures during a class on freedom of expression
Bernadette Paty, aged 77, a former teacher with short hair and thin glasses, evokes a Samuel Paty passionate about History since his early childhood. “Samuel was an intellectual. He was not a believer, my husband and I are not believers, but he was very respectful of all religions,” she explains.
In the box, the accused followed the testimony of Samuel Paty’s mother attentively, without looking away or lowering their heads. “I knew Samuel was going to show these Charlie Hebdo caricatures during a lesson on freedom of expression. He was on vacation with us in August (2020) when he prepared his course,” continues Bernadette Paty. This detail, “completely forgotten”, she said with a sad smile, only came back to her at the time of the tragedy.
“Today, we contest, we threaten and we attack”
“Losing a child in such conditions is unbearable and unacceptable. Losing our son because he showed drawings disgusts us. Our life, since that day, has become a great void,” explains Bernadette Paty.
“What happened to him is so barbaric and unjust that we will never be able to mourn. I expect from this trial that the responsibility of each accused will be recognized and that the sentences will be appropriate,” she insists, still without trembling.
“I am happy to be retired because, today, teachers are challenged. I don’t understand,” she laments again, in response to a question from the court. “Today, we contest, we threaten and we attack. »
Teachers from the Gambetta-Carnot school complex in Arras where, three years after Samuel Paty, professor Dominique Bernard was assassinated by a young Russian radical Islamist of Ingush origin, are present in the courtroom.
“It is Islamism that is at issue and not caricatures”
“The injury we received (the day of Samuel Paty’s death) is very real. It’s a vision that forever changed our vision of life,” explains Jeanne A., a teacher like her ex-partner. “The injustice that happened to Samuel forces us to walk on a tightrope,” she adds before demanding “truth and justice.”
“Samuel was not assassinated for having shown caricatures and having committed blasphemy which has no legal value. Samuel was assassinated by a radicalized Islamist in search of jihad (…) on the basis of a campaign of infamy on the internet led by Islamists demanding nothing more and nothing less for his head. It is Islamism that is at issue and not caricatures, nor freedom of expression and even less secularism,” maintains Mickaëlle Paty, one of the sisters of the murdered professor.
I will never accept the slightest excuse from people who do not recognize their responsibility
Gaëlle Paty chooses to address the accused directly. “Launching a virulent cabal targeting my brother by name and inciting action, promoting this cabal on social networks and encouraging acts (…) constitute serious responsibilities.” “It’s not enough to not get your hands dirty so as not to be responsible for my brother’s death,” she adds. “I will never accept the slightest excuse from people who do not recognize their responsibility. It is totally indecent (…). Without you, Samuel would be alive today,” underlines Gaëlle Paty.
The last of the eight accused to be questioned at the end of the first week of the trial, Yusuf Cinar, a close friend of the assassin, seems not to have heard her. “I dispute the facts. I have been innocent for four years (…). I don’t like the label people put on me. I am not a terrorist,” he said.
The trial is scheduled until December 20.
Swiss
