Demonstrations take place across France in tribute to beheaded teacher

The Fr e n c h pr ime m in i s t e r j o in ed demonstrators across the country yesterday who had rallied in tribute to a history teacher who was beheaded near Paris after discussing caricatures of I s l am ’ s P r oph e t Mohammed with his class.

T he demonstrations came hours af ter US President Donald Trump sent France a message of solidarity in the wake of the attack.

Samue l Paty was beheaded on Friday in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine by an 18-year-old Moscowborn Chechen refugee who was shot dead by police.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex stood with citizens, associations and unions demonstrating on the Place de la Republique in Paris in support of freedom of speech and in memory of the 47-year-old teacher.

Some reading held placards “I am Samuel”

that echoed the “I am Charlie” rallying cry after the 2015 attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

A moment’s silence was observed across the square , broken by applause and a rendition of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.

Demonstrators also gathered in major cities including Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg , Nantes , Ma r s e i l l e , Lille and Bordeaux.

Me a n w h i l e , Fr e n c h authorities said they had detained an 11th person following the killing.

A n t i - t e r r o r i sm prosecutor Jean-Francois R i c a rd s a id an investigation for murder with a suspected terrorist motive had been opened.

At least four of those de tained were family members of the attacker, who had been granted 10year residency in France as a refugee in March.

Hi s half-sister had joined the Islamic State in Syria in 2014, Mr Ricard said. He did not give her name, and it was not clear where she was now.

The prosecutor said a Twitter account under the name Abdoulakh A belonged to the suspect. It posted a photo of the decapitated head minutes after the attack.

Jean Castex.