Trial of the assassination of Samuel Paty: “I apologize to this poor teacher”, “he should never have died like that”… The mea culpa of the father of the student who lied

Accused of participation in a terrorist criminal association, Brahim Chnina spoke for the first time this Wednesday before the Paris Special Assize Court.

With 7 other defendants, he is on trial for having helped the Chechen terrorist Abdoullakh Anzorov to equip himself and then find Samuel Paty, professor of history and geography, before assassinating him on October 16, 2020 in front of his college near Conflans-Sainte -Honorine (Yvelines).

With Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a 65-year-old Franco-Moroccan Islamist activist, Brahim Chnina is at the heart of the accusation. In pre-trial detention for four years, they are accused of having massively relayed the lies of Brahim Chnina’s daughter on social networks with the aim, according to the prosecution, of “designating a target”, “arousing a feeling of hatred” and “thus prepare several crimes”.

The daughter of this 52-year-old Moroccan, a 13-year-old schoolgirl, had falsely asserted – she was absent from class – that Samuel Paty had asked Muslim students to leave his class before showing caricatures of Mohammed.

This Wednesday, before the special assize court of Paris, Brahim Chnina addressed the family of Samuel Paty in response to a response made to the lawyer for the professor’s family. “It hurts me to see Mr. Paty’s family. I apologize to this poor professor who should never have died in these conditions,” he said according to the TF1 Info report on the trial.

“We don’t need your excuses here.”

“I apologize to his entire family” declared Brahim Chnina while the morning of this Wednesday was not supposed to be the time for a speech but which served to present the personality of the accused. “Sir, we don’t need your apologies here,” replied Me Le Roy, lawyer for the parents and one of Samuel Paty’s sisters, dryly. The lawyer asked the accused for his definition of secularism. “It’s to believe or not to believe, respecting believers and non-believers,” he replied.

Initially scheduled for this Wednesday, the study of the personality of Abdelhakim Sefrioui, the other main accused in this trial, will not take place until this Thursday at 2 p.m.