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Big cheers for Samuel Paty: in Paris and in many other French cities, tens of thousands of people showed solidarity with the murdered teacher. The protesters highlighted the importance of freedom of expression.
In France, tens of thousands of people commemorated history teacher Samuel Paty, who was killed in an Islamist attack. At 3 p.m., the people of the Place de la République clapped for a few minutes to remember the 47-year-old. Despite the corona pandemic, there was a dense crowd in the square. The highest level of corona warning applies in the French capital, gatherings of more than 1000 people are actually prohibited; According to media reports, the demonstration was approved.
“I am here to defend freedom of speech, freedom of education,” said Muriel, 61. She is a teacher and a citizen. She had brought a sign with the words “Je suis enseignant.e” (translated: “I am a teacher”). Like many others, he recalled the slogan “Je suis Charlie”, which was coined five years ago after the terrorist attack on the editorial staff of the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”. The magazine had joined the call for a demonstration.
“No to totalitarian thinking” reads other posters. Some people waved the French flag and began to sing the national anthem. Several participants carried posters with cartoons of Muhammad from “Charlie Hebdo”, which have been controversial for years and are hostile to Islamists.
Prime Minister and Mayor of Paris
“They will not divide us,” French Prime Minister Jean Castex said during the rally in Paris. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the president of the Ile-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, also attended.
Parties, associations and unions in Paris and other cities had called demonstrations for freedom of expression.
Miles in Lyon, Marseille and Nice
People also gathered in many other cities in the country. According to the authorities, around 6,000 protesters were counted in Lyon and about 300 people took to the streets of Nice. Rallies were also held in Toulouse, Marseille and Bordeaux. A national memorial service honoring the victim was announced for Wednesday.
Paty was killed on Friday near her school in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Investigators assume that the history and geography professor was murdered because he had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class on the subject of freedom of expression and belief. It is said that he gave students of the Muslim faith the option of looking at the photographs. Investigators classify the act as an Islamist-motivated terrorist attack.
The 18-year-old attacker was shot and killed by police. In connection with the attack, eleven people were taken into police custody as of Sunday morning. Those arrested include people close to the perpetrator, as well as people who raised their spirits against the teacher.
