Six French Teens Convicted in Connection with Islamic Extremist's Killing of Teacher

 

On December 8, a French juvenile court rendered guilty verdicts for six teenagers involved in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamic extremist, a shocking incident that unfolded in 2020. Paty was killed outside his school after showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a discussion on free expression.

The court found five defendants, aged 14 and 15 at the time, guilty of surveilling the teacher and identifying him for the attacker. Another defendant, aged 13, was convicted of providing false information about the classroom debate, aggravating online hostility against the teacher.

All six, students at Paty's school, claimed they were unaware the teacher would be killed. They received brief or suspended prison terms and were mandated to remain in school or employment during the suspended periods, undergoing regular medical checkups.

The court proceedings were not open to the public, and French law prohibits the disclosure of minors' identities in such cases. The verdicts were delivered weeks after a separate school attack in northern France, where a teacher was fatally stabbed by a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization.

Paty's tragic killing prompted heightened security measures in France, with the deployment of 7,000 additional soldiers across the country. The trial for eight adults, including the father of one of the defendants, involved in disseminating false information and promoting hostility against Paty is expected to take place next year.