Samuel Paty: French headteacher describes spiral of events that led to beheading

The former headteacher of a French faculty has revealed the stunning sequence of occasions that led to the beheading of Samuel Paty by a Chechen refugee.

Audrey F informed the courtroom in Paris how she had tried to cease a row spiralling uncontrolled that started with a 13-year-old pupil mendacity to her dad and mom.

What started with Samuel Paty giving a lesson on freedom of expression in October 2020 escalated when the daddy of the woman, who had not even been within the class, turned up on the headteacher’s workplace with an area Islamist activist.

“I didn’t manage to protect him,” Audrey F mentioned of her late colleague – a popular historical past and geography trainer within the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.

“It’s such an enormous waste.”

The row tragically ended with Paty’s homicide outdoors the college by 18-year-old Abdoullakh Anzorov, who was shot lifeless by police on the scene.

The woman, recognized in courtroom by the preliminary Z, had simply been suspended by the college for 2 days for repeated absence and rudeness.

That was not what she had informed her dad and mom.

The woman claimed she had confronted Paty in a category she had not attended, falsely alleging that he had informed Muslim college students to depart the room whereas he confirmed “naked” photographs of the Prophet Muhammad.

Although the mom of one other woman had phoned the college in tears, Audrey F mentioned she had known as her again, with Samuel Paty additionally on the decision, and mentioned the mom appeared reassured.

In actuality, three cartoons revealed by a French satirical journal had been mentioned in school, and Paty had mentioned anybody who felt they could be offended didn’t have to remain.

Any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are thought of extremely offensive by Muslims. But there had been no try to focus on or exclude Muslims college students.

The following morning, Audrey F was informed that the excluded pupil’s father Brahim Chnina was outdoors the college with one other man, Abdelhakim Sefrioui, who wrongly claimed to be performing on behalf of French imams.

The pair had been demanding motion in opposition to Paty, who they condemned as a “thug” and needed eliminated.

Audrey F mentioned that whereas she had tried to focus the dialog on the woman’s exclusion from faculty, Abdelhakim Sefrioui had taken the lead, refusing to permit freedom of expression for use by a “thug”.

The homicide of Samuel Paty, 47, shocked France and got here 5 years after militant Islamist gunmen murdered 12 people at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo which revealed the unique cartoons.

Abdelhakim Sefrioui and Brahim Chnina are accused of figuring out Samuel Paty as a “blasphemer” in on-line movies and of involvement in a “criminal terrorist” group and complicity in “terrorist murder”.

They are amongst eight individuals on trial on the courtroom in Paris who all deny the costs in opposition to them, whereas not denying their involvement within the case.

The different six embody a pair accused of serving to the teenage killer and others who’re accused of egging him on on social media.

Audrey F, who has left France to show at a world faculty in China, informed the courtroom that she had felt the following day that the state of affairs had now turn out to be an issue and “something is not right at the school”.

Two movies appeared on social media, one from Brahim Chnina through which his daughter repeated her lies in regards to the class, one other later from Abdelhakim Sefrioui, naming each Samuel Paty and the college.

“By now I was very worried, not specifically for Mr Paty but for the school,” she informed the courtroom.

On the recommendation of a superior she went to the police with Samuel Paty, the place he filed a grievance, and contacted the native authority.

The geography trainer was urged to remain at residence till the college holidays which had been solely days away. He refused to take action and Audrey F didn’t insist.

Threatening emails had been despatched to the college and there have been nameless phone-calls too. A police automobile was parked outdoors the college for a number of days.

On the ultimate day of half-term, at 16:45 on Friday 16 October, Samuel Paty was stabbed and decapitated by the 18-year-old Chechen refugee outdoors the college.

Brahim Chnina’s daughter has already been convicted of constructing false and slanderous accusations, whereas 5 different youngsters have been discovered responsible of participating in a gaggle making ready aggravated violence.

When requested in courtroom what Abdelhakim Sefrioui and Brahim Chnina might have completed to calm the state of affairs, Audrey F mentioned nothing would have occurred if they’d not posted movies on-line.

Regretting that she had been unable to guard her colleague, the previous headteacher mentioned: “I tell myself that if there is justice, perhaps I’ll manage to move on.”