The trial of the eight accused in the murder of the French language teacher Samuel Pati has begun

Seven men and one woman will go on trial Monday at a special jury in Paris on charges of orchestrating a campaign of hatred and intimidation that led to the 2020 killing of French teacher Samuel Paty.

Pati, 47, was beheaded on October 16, 2020, outside a high school in Conflans, northwest of Paris, where he taught history and geography.

His killer, Abdullah Anzorov, claimed he killed Pati to “punish” him for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a free speech class.

Later, 18-year-old Anzorov was shot dead by the police during an attempt to arrest him.

Before the attack, Pati faced a wave of online harassment after a class on social codes at Collège du Bois-d’Aulne.

A 13-year-old student who did not attend class said the class was discriminatory against Muslims.

Her accusations went viral, and the girl, along with five former classmates, were sentenced in juvenile court in December 2023 to 14 months to two years of probation.

Colleagues of the murdered teacher Samuel Petit are trying to solve the role of former students in the attack

“Target campaign”

Adults aged 22 to 65 will participate in Monday’s hearing.

Among the defendants are 52-year-old Brahim Chnina, the father of the girl whose claims caused controversy, and 65-year-old Abdelhakim Sefrioui.

They claim that Chnina called Anzorov nine times. He and Sefriua face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Accusations of complicity

23-year-old Azim Epsirkhanov is accused of complicity in the murder of Pati because he allegedly helped Anzorov buy weapons.

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