A trial for France

French teacher beheaded after showing caricatures of Mohammed to the class ... Young student's false claim ends in tragedy ... Misinformation takes off on social media ... Media storm ... Religion infiltrates public life ... Trials unfold ... Hugh Vuillier reports 

Samuel Paty: a test for laïcité

It began with a lie, small but vicious. Two weeks later, Samuel Paty was dead.

Trials began this month for eight accused of aiding and inciting the young terrorist who beheaded Paty, a secondary school teacher, in 2020 after he showed caricatures of Mohammed in a civics class. 

Paty's murder struck at the core of France. For its teachers, it was personal. 

In many ways, they are the face of laïcité - France's controversial way of separating religion from public life. In classrooms, they uphold the republic's values in the face of a militant Islam. 

Paty's lesson was on freedom - freedom of the press, of expression. Without opinion, he laid out the dilemma: publish offensive cartoons or censor? He shows caricatures of Mohamed, but first, he gave the high school students the chance to leave if they wish. 

The same day, a mother in tears called the school. The principal at the time, Audrey F, recalls the conversation on the stand. Her daughter said Paty had asked Muslim students to raise their hands and leave outright.

In the 19th century, French state teachers were in open rivalry with priests. They brought free education to small towns, while promoting republican values. In 1882, schools were declared "free, mandatory, and laic". Today, laïcité bans overt symbols of faith, from crosses to burkas, in classrooms. Teachers have become targets in a growing cultural conflict.

The Principal remembers how Paty had denied the girl's story. Regretful, he said he never meant harm. But the story grew, passed from parent to parent.

The girl, just thirteen years old, had been suspended for other reasons: absences and rudeness. Still, she told her father, Brahim Chnina, it was punishment for refusing to leave the class. Outraged, he posted the story online. 

But the girl wasn't in the class that day. She lied. 

October 7, 2020: The father and a militant Islamist, Abdelhakim Sefrioui, came to the school, demanding Paty's dismissal. They promised protests, a media storm.

These two are at the center of the current trial. In detention for now four years, they are accused of spreading the girl's false story over social media with the intention to "pick a target ... incite hate [and] prepare multiple crimes".  

The father denied ever having called for Paty to be killed. In court, he addressed the victim's family, and apologised to "that poor teacher who should never have died in those circumstances".

The damage was done. The social media storm, according to the prosecutor, led to Paty's murder. 

October 12, 2020: Paty's name was everywhere, his school, all over social media. The girl's father and the militant had posted videos naming the teacher and what he had done. Calls poured in, journalists, emails, and threats.

Paty asked to be escorted to his car. "I am threatened by local Islamists," he wrote to his colleagues.

France's teachers are carefully watching this case. Antoine Casubolo Ferro, a lawyer for Paty's colleagues told reporters: 

"They expect the (French) republic, justice, to say: stop, don't mess with teachers ... don't mess with freedom of expression."

Paty's death came during the Charlie Hebdo trials, dealing with the 2015 attack of a satirical magazine in Paris by Islamic radicals. Paty became a martyr of the Republic. Protests erupted nationwide, demanding justice for teachers and reaffirming laïcité.

October 16, 2020: The last day before holidays. The Principal hears the news: a man had been beheaded near the school.

It was Paty.

A young radical of Chechen origin, Abdoullakh Anzorov, had travelled over 100 kilometres to find him. Yet the eighteen-year-old had no idea what Paty looked like. Shockingly, he successfully bribed students to help him. 

Five teens, aged 14 to 15, were convicted in 2023 for their roles in aiding the killer. One had stayed with Anzorov for several hours, describing Paty's clothing and routine, while helping him hide.

Another teen was also convicted. A girl, thirteen-years-old, who was sentenced to eighteen months in prison for "false accusation". 

As the trial unfolds, questions remain. The killer will never stand trial because police shot him dead shortly after the attack. Is social media alone responsible for perpetuating the lie that led to such violence? 

The prosecution is forced to send a message: the Republic will protect teachers in their duty against any threat. And teachers are watching.

In Paty's backpack from the day of the attack, police found a hammer, his last, hopeless defence.

Hugh Vuillier writes on economics, politics, law and history and is based at the London School of Economics