Paris terror attack: Beheaded teacher Samuel Paty to be awarded France's highest honour
Paty was killed last Friday after showing his pupils caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad from French magazine Charlie Hebdo
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Samuel Paty, the 47-year old history teacher who was beheaded in a Parisian suburb last week, will posthumously receive France's highest award, the "Legion d'Honneur".
Education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer made the announcement during an interview with BFM TV on Tuesday morning.
Paty was murdered outside his school on Friday in broad daylight. It came after he showed his pupils the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad controversially featured in the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The killer, identified as 18-year-old Abdoulakh A, was subsequently shot dead by the police. Police said the suspect was born in Moscow and was of Chechen origin, but had been granted a 10-year residency in France as a refugee in March. He was armed with a knife and an airsoft gun, which fires plastic pellets.
The authorities investigating the killing have so far arrested 15 people. Among those in custody are four school students and four of the attacker’s family members, according to BBC News. The police also carried out some 40 raids on the homes of suspected radicals on Monday.
The killing of the teacher drew widespread condemnation from different quarters, as well as rallies in solidarity with the victim. The editors of Charlie Hebdo themselves tweeted: “Charlie Hebdo expresses its sense of horror and revolt after a teacher in the line of duty was murdered by a religious fanatic. We express our deepest support to his family, loved ones and all the teachers.”
A national ceremony in honor of Paty will be held at Paris' Sorbonne university on Wednesday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments