Attack in France: Macron speaks of an act of Islamist terrorism



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In a Paris suburb, a teacher was stabbed and killed in the street. According to authorities, the police shot the attacker. President Macron classifies the attack as an Islamist attack.

By Sabine Wachs, ARD-Studio Paris

Visibly ill President Emmanuel Macron appeared late at night at the crime scene in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a small town 35 kilometers northwest of Paris. “One of our fellow citizens was brutally murdered. He is the victim of an Islamist terrorist attack,” he said without further ado.

The victim is a history teacher who taught in the Paris suburb. It is said that he showed his students cartoons of Muhammad as part of a course on freedom of expression. Not everyone liked it for a long time. “He taught his students what to believe or not to believe,” Macron said. On Friday night, the teacher was attacked with a knife in the street and died.

President’s appeal

Apparently, the school and the school management had to receive a lot of criticism for this. Macron had met with the victim’s director shortly before his address. He thanked him for upholding free speech and the doctrine of free speech through thick and thin.

Just a few weeks ago, the president introduced a bill against the emergence of mainly Islamist parallel societies. Education and the school as an institution play a central role in this. Because in schools, Macron explained, the values ​​of the republic are taught. Freedom of expression is one of the most important assets.

So it is not by chance that this terrorist murdered a teacher tonight. I wanted to know the republic, its values, education and the opportunity to make our children responsible citizens, wherever they come from, what they believe in or what you don’t believe in, “said Macron. our. This battle is ours. We will fight it, it is inevitable. “

Four people were arrested

President Macron did not elaborate on the alleged perpetrator, the course of events and the background to the crime. At first it was said in police circles that the victim had been beheaded. But this has not been confirmed. The Reuters news agency reported that the teacher’s neck had been cut, according to police.

Macron referred to the antiterrorist prosecutor’s office, which took over the investigation shortly after the brutal act. Among other things, he is investigating Moders with a terrorist background. The alleged perpetrator, an 18-year-old young man, was captured by the police shortly after the crime when he threatened the officers with a long kitchen knife and shot him. He succumbed to his wound. According to news agencies dpa and afp, four people were detained after the attack. The police are quoted as saying they belong to the attacker’s relatives.

“Attack on the values ​​of the republic”

It is an exceptionally brutal murder that shocked France deeply in the midst of the second wave of the crown pandemic. “They will not get away with it. We will not allow ourselves to be divided. Because that is what they want,” he added. sthe president performed at the end of his brief speech at the venue. The government has created a crisis team. Politicians from all parties reacted extremely concerned by the incident. The French National Assembly even interrupted its session and thought about the victim and his relatives.

The President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, wrote on Twitter: “The murder of a history teacher is an attack on freedom of expression and the values ​​of the Republic. To attack a teacher is to attack all French citizens and the freedom”.

The Tagesschau reported on this issue on October 16, 2020 at 8:00 pm


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