The 18-year-old asked students to point to a history teacher before a knife attack.

A discussion about freedom of expression in the classroom ended with stabbings. Now the French teachers are scared.

Freedom of expression was on the French College du Bois d’Aulne’s agenda a week and a half ago.

History teacher Samuel Paty (47) asked the Muslims in the classroom to raise their hands. They could leave the classroom if they wanted to.

The professor had to deal with the Charlie Hebdo case. The goal was to discuss freedom of expression. Paty announced that she would show a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. It could offend Muslims in the class, Nordine Chaouadi told Reuters. He is the parent of a 13-year-old student in the class.

For a Muslim, all images of the Prophet Muhammad are blasphemous. Chaouadi’s son is Muslim. He interpreted the teacher’s warning as friendly and respectful.

– The teacher gave advance notice to protect the children, not to surprise them, says Chaouadi.

Others, however, were very upset. Parents complained to the school. A few days later, a meeting was held. The teacher and principal met with the parents who responded.

“Everything went well,” Chaouadi told Reuters.

But then the teacher started receiving threats, according to the BBC.

One of the parents in the class posted several videos on social media. According to Reuters, the history teacher hung himself as a bully who should be fired.

– The intelligence service did not know the 18-year-old.

On Friday, the teacher Samuel Paty was attacked with a knife in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine street, northwest of Paris. The head was cut off.

Before the murder, the alleged perpetrator is said to have asked students at the school to point out the teacher. Prosecutor Jean-François Ricard told Reuters.

The perpetrator is said to have yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. It is Arabic for “God is the greatest”. French police describe the murder as a terrorist attack.

The attacker was shot and killed by police shortly after the knife attack. He was equipped with a knife and a soft gun and is said to have acted threateningly against the police.

A source in the French prosecution service stated on Saturday that the alleged perpetrator is an 18-year-old Chechen, born in Moscow. French intelligence did not know him before.

After the murder, a photo of the beheaded teacher was posted on Twitter. The 18-year-old takes responsibility for the murder here. He also calls President Emmanuel Macron “the leader of the disbelievers.”

According to Reuters, the 18-year-old wrote directly to Macron that he had “executed one of his hellhounds, who dared to offend Mohammed.” Twitter quickly removed the post.

Father of children in class arrested

Nine people have been brought in for questioning after the attack. Among them is the father who is said to have posted videos about the teacher on social media, Reuters reports.

The 17-year-old brother, parents and grandfather of the suspected terrorist have also been arrested. They were questioned on Saturday.

– Blasphemy is shocking, but legal.

Teachers across France have expressed fear after the murder, says BBC France correspondent Lucy Williamson.

Having a colleague die on a quiet suburban street is shocking in itself. Furthermore, the murder is interpreted as an attack on the fundamental values ​​of the French educational system: the spread of freedom, equality and brotherhood.

Jean-Remi Girart is the president of an organization of French teachers. It says that students should learn that profanity is shocking but legal.

“We are in France, in the 21st century, and we have a teacher who is beheaded on the street just because he has tried to teach,” Girart said. CNews.

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer met with teacher organizations in France on Saturday. He claimed that it was “enemies of freedom” who killed Paty.

“France will never give in to terror and threats,” he said.

Macron encourages the French to stand united

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the site on Friday night. Even then, he claimed that the attack was an “Islamist terrorist attack.”

“One of our compatriots was killed today because he taught about freedom of expression, the freedom to believe or not to believe,” said a prominent Macron.

He urged the French to stick together and not let the attack divide the people.

– That is exactly what the extremists are looking for.

The murder occurred while the trial after the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in 2015 is ongoing. Charlie Hebdo editors have expressed their displeasure on Twitter. He writes that he supports all French teachers.