The tributes to Samuel Paty, assassinated on October 16 near the middle school where he taught history and geography, multiplied this Wednesday. A ceremony was organized on the forecourt of the department in the presence of the president of the departmental council, Charles Ange Ginésy, and the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzales.
Excerpt from Charles Ange Ginésy’s speech: “These acts of terror, which target our freedoms, our values, our way of life, our French identity, will never undermine the foundations of our French Republic. Samuel Paty died for wanting to implement the moral and civic education program in a 4th-grade class, for showing his students two satirical depictions of Muhammad, for teaching debate, freedom of conscience, and critical thinking that prepare our adolescents for their future role as free citizens, for giving them the intellectual capacity to detect all forms of moral oppression and to resist them. Let us continue to support the education and instruction of our youth, the free press, freedom of opinion and expression. The French people have had enough of this permanent insecurity, these attacks on freedom, on the physical integrity of French men and women, these crimes, these murders under the guise of religion, revealing only extremism… Today, we must stop talking, we must act!”
“Today, I want to have a thought for his loved ones, for his family, some of whom live in our department. I want to be able to tell them they will not pass. No, our enemies will not pass! They will not pass because the freedoms of citizens are non-negotiable. They will not pass because it will never be acceptable for a state agent to be assassinated while performing his duty. Whatever their differences in origin or beliefs, our fellow citizens are united by values, a history, and a destiny. And it is this that disturbs our enemies. It is this that scares them. That the Republic can be a human, common, and fraternal project where they want only division, separatism, and isolation,” Bernard Gonzales emphasized vigorously.
Charles Ange Ginésy (on the left) and Bernard Gonzales (on the right) paid tribute to Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old dedicated teacher passionate about his profession, which he practiced in a calm neighborhood of Yvelines in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.
Nearly 450 people, including elected officials, civil servants… were present on the forecourt of the departmental hotel, united and steadfast to pay tribute to Samuel Paty with a minute of silence and then singing the Marseillaise to loudly proclaim our pride in being French!
