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On Friday the 16th of October, teacher Samuel Paty was executed in the streets of Conflans Sainte-Honorine, France. 11 days earlier, in a discussion about freedom of speech, he had shown his students Charlie Hebdo’s controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. These cartoons sparked the Paris attacks in January 2015. Paty had given Muslim students permission to leave the classroom, knowing the images would be considered blasphemous, yet his decision sparked outrage amongst some parents.
Paty’s murderer has been identified as 18-year-old Chechen Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead shortly after the tragedy. A 30 centimetre-long blade was found near to the scene, and police recovered footage of Anzorov taking responsibility for the murder. He claimed to have “avenged the prophet”, and stated: “Brothers, pray that Allah accepts me as a martyr.”
Prosecutors allege that Anzorof had paid two teenagers €300 to identify Paty. He reportedly wanted to "film the teacher [and] make him apologise for the cartoon of the Prophet [Muhammad]”. The goal was “to humiliate him, to hit him”. The students involved, who must remain anonymous for legal reasons, are 14 and 15 years old, and reportedly described the teacher to the killer.
Anzorof had reportedly been in contact with a Jihadist fighter in Syria. The pair had been communicating since September, and are thought to have met on Instagram.
Three friends of Anzorov are also being investigated for terrorist offences. One is accused of accompanying Anzorov to buy the blade and airgun, while another drove. Both claim they were unaware of the 18-year-old’s murderous plans. The third person faces lesser charges, although it is currently unclear what he has been accused of.
One mosque in northern Paris has been forced to close for six months, after sharing infuriated parents’ videos online: footage that was “likely to provoke hatred and violence”. President Macron has also revealed that pro-Hamas group, the Sheikh Yassin Collective, is set to be disbanded for being “directly implicated” in the attack. The collective’s leader, Abdelhakim Sefrioui, has been arrested, while Hamas maintain they have “no links” to the group.
One pupil’s father, known as Brahim C, had allegedly texted Anzorov repeatedly, and is accused of having issued a “fatwa” against Paty. A fatwa is “considered an Islamic ruling by scholars”, and this particular one called for the punishment of the 47-year-old teacher. Immediately after Paty’s death, 16 people were detained by the authorities. At least six people, including some of Anzonorov’s family members, have been released, however four pupils remain in custody.
Prosecutor Jean-François Ricard believes there is a “direct link of casualty” between Sefrioui and Brahim C’s social media campaigns, and Paty’s death. The murderer was “directly inspired” some of their messages, as “verbatim” notes were found on his phone.
French police have since launched dozens of investigations into potential terror groups across the country. The interior minister, Gérald Darmaninm, says the raids should show that “enemies of the republic cannot expect a minute’s respite”. Currently, about 80 separate investigations are underway; those targeted include radical preachers and extremists, accused of spreading online hate. Another 50 Islamic associations are under review - “some of which will certainly be dissolved”. According to French media, authorities are set to deport 213 immigrants who are suspected of holding extremist beliefs. About 150 of those on the watchlist are incarcerated.
Other measures include stricter security measures in French schools, while ministers and social media bosses have had an “urgent discussion” about the dangers posed by the Internet.
Macron led a memorial to Paty on Wednesday the 22nd of October. The event took place at the Sorbonne University in Central Paris, as the president described Paty as “the face of the republic” and someone who “believed in knowledge”. A military guard carried the geography-history teacher’s coffin into the cobblestone, as his family watched the solemn ceremony. According to Macron, "Samuel Paty was the victim of a conspiracy of stupidity, hate, lies ... hate of the other ... hate of what we profoundly are.”
Following nationwide protests in favour of free speech, Macron is under further pressure to eradicate fundamentalism. Right wing politicians, such as Bruno Retailleau, have accused Macron of “fighting a battle of vocabulary, even while a part of the country is defying the fundamental values of the French republic”. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, has encouraged “wartime legislation” as a measure against terrorism.
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