French MPs Hold Moment of Silence to Honor Slain Teacher
French members of Parliament stood together on the steps of the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 20, for a moment of silence to honor Samuel Paty, the teacher who was murdered on October 16.
Paty was beheaded in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a commune northwest of Paris, on Friday. Police said officers shot and killed the suspected killer, an 18-year-old Chechen refugee. Police officials said Paty was beheaded after discussing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a class on freedom of expression..
MP Thierry Michels posted this video showing the moment of silence. He wrote (translated using Google Translate): “A moving ceremony, borrowing solemnity in memory of this professor, incarnation of the values of our Republic. The Nation and its representatives are united in the face of barbarism and will oppose those who want to silence us.” Credit: Thierry Michels via Storyful