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The ceremony began at 7.30 pm in the courtyard of the Sorbonne University in Paris.
– The idea of holding the ceremony at the 800-year-old university is to pay tribute to the ideas of the Enlightenment, which would go against religious fanaticism and pay tribute to rational thinking, says foreign SVT journalist Christian Catomeris.
The entire political body participated in the ceremony, including representatives of previous governments.
– They want to show that they are united by the fundamental values of the Republic, which they believe have been attacked by this act, says Christian Catomeris.
“He will not abstain from cartoons”
Among the speakers for the evening was President Emmanel Macron, who began her speech by saying that she did not intend to talk about “these terrorists who make these attacks possible.”
– I want to talk about your son, your brother, your uncle. The one you loved. I want to talk about your colleague and teacher who was killed because he chose to teach. To teach your students to become citizens, teach them about the freedoms they have. Tonight I want to talk about Samuel Paty.
Macron spoke more about the love of books and the great interest in religion and history that led Samuel Paty to the teaching profession, and ended up speaking directly to the late professor.
– We will continue. We will defend the freedom that he taught so well and we will raise secularism. We will not abstain from cartoons and vignettes.
Great demonstrations
Earlier on Wednesday, the Legion of Honor was posthumously handed over to Samuel Paty, who was killed in the suspected terrorist attack on Friday. It is the highest award that a French citizen can receive.
The event has also sparked major demonstrations for freedom of expression, including in the area northwest of Paris, where Samuel Paty lived and taught.
Watch the full broadcast on SVT Play.
