Four years after the tragic assassination of French history teacher Samuel Paty, the trial of eight adults linked to his killing begins today (Monday).
The attack, which shocked France and the world, took place on October 16, 2020, when an 18-year-old Chechen extremist fatally stabbed and beheaded 47-year-old Paty outside his school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a Paris suburb. The attacker was killed by police shortly after the incident.
Paty had shown his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, originally published by Charlie Hebdo during a lesson on free expression. This act mirrored the motive behind the 2015 attack on the magazine’s offices that left 12 people dead, as the attackers also sought to "avenge the prophet."
Following Paty's murder, six teenagers were sentenced last year for their involvement, with sentences ranging up to two years, including suspended terms. Now, eight adults face trial, charged with complicity. Two of them, accused of aiding the killer in procuring weapons or transporting him to the scene, could receive up to 30 years in prison.
The remaining defendants are charged with terrorist group affiliations, accused of encouraging or supporting the attacker. Among them is the father of a 13-year-old girl who allegedly misled her father into believing Paty had excluded Muslim students from the classroom—a claim reportedly fabricated after her suspension from school for unrelated reasons.
