Samuel Paty, the French teacher beheaded after giving students freedom-of-speech lessons, was honored with the nation’s highest honor by President Emmanuel Macron.
The Legion d’Honneur was posthumously bestowed upon Mr. Paty as he was honored Wednesday at a memorial service with 400 in attendance.
“He was killed precisely because he incarnated the Republic”, Mr Macron said, BBC reported. “He was killed because the Islamists want our future. They know that with quiet heroes like him, they will never have it.”
Mr. Paty was killed Friday by Abdullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old immigrant from Russia’s Chechnya region who had lived in France since 2008.
Anzorov was shot and killed by police shortly after the beheading just outside Paris.
Prosecutors may charge a man identified as Brahim C — a student’s father — for charges due to text messages to Anzorov prior to the killing.
Authorities say Anzorov paid $355 to two teenagers who identified Mr. Paty for him after classes.
“[Anzorov wanted to] film the teacher [and] make him apologize for [showing] the cartoon of the Prophet [Muhammad],” anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-François Ricard said at a press conference, BBC reported.
The history and geography teacher, however, allowed Muslim students to leave the classroom if they did not feel comfortable participating in the lesson.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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