Six Teenagers Convicted for Role in Beheading of French Teacher Samuel Paty

A French juvenile court has convicted six teenagers for their roles in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in 2020. Paty was killed outside his school after showing his class cartoons of the prophet of Islam during a debate on free expression.

Five of the defendants, aged 14 and 15 at the time of the attack, were found guilty of staking out the teacher and identifying him for the attacker. The sixth defendant, aged 13 at the time, was found guilty of lying about the classroom debate in a comment that aggravated online anger against the teacher.

The attack on Paty sparked national outrage in France and prompted a nationwide debate on freedom of expression. In response to the attack, President Emmanuel Macron said that France would “not give up our cartoons” and declared that “we will continue the fight for freedom.”

The attack also prompted a crackdown on Islamic extremism, with the government introducing a bill to combat “separatism” and “Islamist radicalism.” The bill seeks to strengthen the country’s secular values and ensure that public services are not used to promote religious beliefs.

The convictions of the six teenagers are a reminder of the tragic consequences of extremism and a reminder of the importance of freedom of expression.