Seven men and one woman go on trial Monday at the Special Assize Court of Paris, accused of orchestrating a campaign of hatred and intimidation that led to the 2020 murder of French teacher Samuel Paty.
Paty, 47, was beheaded on 16 October 2020 outside the secondary school in Conflans, northwest of Paris, where he taught history and geography.
His killer, Abdoullah Anzorov, claimed he murdered Paty to “punish” him for showing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on free speech.
Anzorov, 18, was later shot dead by police during an attempted arrest.
Before the attack, Paty faced a wave of online harassment after a lesson on social codes at the Collège du Bois-d’Aulne.
A 13-year-old student – who did not atttend the class – claimed the lesson discriminated against Muslims.
Her accusations went viral, and the girl, along with five former classmates, was sentenced in a juvenile court in December 2023 to suspended terms ranging from 14 months to two years.
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'Targeted campaign'
Monday's hearing will involve adults between 22 and 65.
The defendants include Brahim Chnina, 52, father of the girl whose claims sparked the controversy, and Abdelhakim Sefrioui, 65.
Prosecutors say on 7 and 8 October, Chnina posted videos stigmatising Paty and singling him out as a target, along with precise information about his identity and place of work.
They allege that Chnina had nine telephone contacts with Anzorov. He and Sefrioui face 30 years in prison if found guilty.
Complicity charges
Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, is charged with complicity in Paty’s murder for allegedly helping Anzorov buy weapons.
Prosecutors say he and 22-year-old Naïm Boudaoud took Anzorov to a cutlery shop in Rouen to buy a knife matching one found near his body.
Boudaoud is also accused of driving Anzorov to Cergy, outside Paris, to purchase Airsoft pistols and steel balls on the day of the murder.
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Yusuf Cinar, 22, is charged with spreading jihadist propaganda, including posting Anzorov’s claim of responsibility and images of Paty’s body. He is also accused of sharing videos honouring Anzorov after his death.
Another defendant, Ismaïl Gamaev, 22, allegedly exchanged jihadist messages with Anzorov, encouraging his plans to attack Paty. Louqmane Ingar, 22, is accused of being a member of the same online group.
The only woman on trial, Priscilla Mangel, 36, is accused of persuading Anzorov that attacking Paty was justified. Prosecutors say her online interactions with Anzorov emboldened him in the days before the killing.
On 14 October, nearly four years after Paty’s death and one year after another extremist killed teacher Dominique Bernard, schools across France observed a minute’s silence for pupils aged 11 to 18.
