Next Friday, exactly one year after the murder of the teacher, schools will honor his memory.
On the evening of Friday, October 16, 2020, Samuel Paty was murdered. The history and geography teacher at Bois-de-l’Aulne junior high school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine was assassinated after showing Charlie Hebdo caricatures as part of a lesson on secularism.
October 15, 2021: Tribute to Samuel Paty in schools and institutions
A selection of documentary and audiovisual resources is offered to support teachers in organizing this tribute and discussions with students
▶https://t.co/bhEwBIr3CU pic.twitter.com/HA4vVpmR1r— éduscol (@Eduscol) October 8, 2021
On October 15, all schools will thus allocate a time for discussion with students to pay tribute to Samuel Paty and fulfill their duty of remembrance.
“Teachers must then emphasize the importance of freedom, the role, and respect for teachers in our society. As always, when there is a tragic event like this, we must show that we are capable of resilience, to collectively demonstrate that the forces of life are stronger than the forces of death,” condemns Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of Education.
To this end, students will draw on texts and poems about secularism and freedom of expression, notably the famous letter by Jean Jaurès “To Teachers” published in La Dépêche in 1888. A minute of silence is also planned at 11 a.m.
“There is a before and an after Samuel Paty”
A white march will take place in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, in the Yvelines department. The Legion of Honor posthumously will be awarded to Samuel Paty. Furthermore, Emmanuel Macron will receive the teacher’s family at the Élysée on October 16.
A statue and a commemorative plaque will be unveiled. Additionally, the park opposite the Sorbonne University in Paris will be renamed in his name. “The Sorbonne embodies the importance of what is at stake right now, namely knowledge, the transmission of knowledge and values, the Sorbonne is emblematic of what Samuel Paty embodies today,” explains the minister of education.
In the Alpes-Maritimes region, the Saint-Antoine school in Cap-d’Ail has been renamed Samuel Paty.
