Muslim schoolgirl admits lying that her teacher was Islamophobic – which led to him being decapitated by a jihadist – because she was suspended for two days and worried her parents would be angry
The Muslim schoolgirl who accused her teacher of Islamophobia and began rumours that led to a jihadist decapitating him in the street in France has admitted lying and apologised to the victim’s family in a remarkable court hearing today.
History and geography teacher Samuel Paty was murdered on October 16, 2020 by Abdoullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old Islamist radical of Chechen origin.
Anzorov tracked down 47-year-old Paty and brutally hacked his head off after seeing pictures and videos of him circulated on social media as part of a ruthless campaign of harassment.
It began after the schoolgirl in question claimed that Paty had ordered Muslim students to leave his classroom while he showed the rest of the class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
But she revealed today that she had not even been present in the class and invented the lie, fearing repercussions from her parents after she was suspended two days for bad behaviour.
The student, who was 13 at the time of the murder and whose identity remains protected due to her age, cried as she addressed Paty’s family.
‘I know it’s hard to hear, but I wanted to apologise… I wanted to apologise sincerely. I’m sorry for destroying your life,’ she reportedly said through tears.
‘I apologise for my lie that brought us all back here,’ she added, admitting to those in attendance, including the accused: ‘Without me, no one would be here.’
The schoolgirl’s father, Brahim Chnina, is accused of launching the online harassment campaign against Paty, while other teen students were tried last year after they identified him for the attacker in exchange for a few hundred euros.
Anzorov, who had requested asylum in France and travelled more than 60 miles to cut down Paty in public, was killed by police shortly after the murder near the school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine west of Paris.
Paty is regarded as a free-speech hero by many in France.
He had shown the Charlie Hebdo caricatures to students as part of an ethics class in which his pupils were discussing the fallout of the 2015 terror attack on newspaper’s offices in which 12 people were murdered by extremists.
But he had not ordered any students to leave the room, instead telling them what he was going to do as part of the ethics lesson before inviting them to turn away if they thought they would be offended by the caricatures.
Seven men and one woman are appearing at the Special Assize Court in Paris amid the trial over his murder, which is set to last until December 20.
Chnina is one of them, facing charges of association with a terrorist organisation for his alleged involvement in the online campaign targeting Paty.
Six students, including Chnina’s daughter, were tried last year for their role in Paty’s death.
The schoolgirl had accompanied her father to file a complaint at the time. ‘I wanted to tell my parents that it was false, I knew that my father was not going to do anything to me , but I was afraid to say it,’ she said in court today.
After Paty’s murder, she was taken into police custody, during which time she continued to lie. ‘My teacher had been decapitated, my father was in police custody, I couldn’t say it was false,’ she said.
She finally confessed the truth after 30 hours and two police interviews.
The schoolgirl received an 18-month suspended sentence for the slanderous allegations she made against Paty that ultimately proved the catalyst for his murder.
Her five co-defendants, all of whom were aged 14 or 15 at the time of the murder, faced charges of criminal conspiracy with the aim of preparing aggravated violence.
Four were handed suspended sentences but one received a six-month term with an electronic tag after being identified as the person who pointed Paty out to Anzorov.
Also on trial at the court in Paris is Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a 65-year-old Franco-Moroccan Islamist activist.
He and Chnina spread the teenager’s lies on social networks with the aim, according to the prosecution, of ‘designating a target’, ‘provoking a feeling of hatred’ and ‘thus preparing several crimes’.
Both men have been in pre-trial detention for the past four years.
Between October 9 and 13, Chnina spoke to Anzorov nine times by telephone after he published videos criticising Paty, the investigation showed.
Sefrioui meanwhile posted a video criticising what he considered to be Islamophobia in France and describing Paty as a ‘teaching thug’.
He insisted to investigators he was only seeking ‘administrative sanctions’ against Paty, not violence.
Two young friends of the attacker are facing even graver charges of ‘complicity in terrorist murder’, a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, a Russian of Chechen origin, are accused of having accompanied Anzorov to a knife shop in the northern city of Rouen the day before the attack.
‘Nearly three years of investigation have never managed to establish that Naim Boudaoud had any knowledge of the attacker’s criminal plans,’ his lawyers Adel Fares and Hiba Rizkallah said.
Boudaoud is accused of accompanying Anzorov to buy two replica guns and steel pellets the day of the attack.
Epsirkhanov admitted he had received 800 euros from Anzorov to find him a real gun but had not succeeded.
Four other defendants interacted with Anzorov online prior to Paty’s murder.
Yusuf Cinar, a 22-year-old Turkish national, shared a jihadist Snapchat account with him, that later published images of Paty’s killing.
Ismail Gamaev, a 22-year-old Russian of Chechen origin with refugee status, and Louqmane Ingar, also 22, exchanged jihadist content on a Snapchat group with Anzorov. The first posted an image of Paty’s head with smiley faces after the killing.
The only woman on trial is 36-year-old Priscilla Mangel, a Muslim convert who conversed with Paty’s killer on X, describing the teacher’s class as ‘an example of the war waged by (France’s) Republican institutions against Muslims’.
Thibault de Montbrial and Pauline Ragot, lawyers for Mickaelle Paty, one of the sisters of the murdered teacher, said his killing had highlighted the ‘depth of Islamist infiltration in France’.
The trial should ‘allow our society to become aware of a mortal peril’, they added.
10 clever ways to save money that really work
In light of stubborn inflation and rising living costs, saving money can be especially challenging. Even if you successfully cut back on spending, you may still have little leftover to save by the end of the month.
In this case, finding extra money to save may require some creativity. So, consider these clever strategies that can help.
1. Write a reverse shopping list
Typically, a shopping list involves listing out all of the items you’re missing at home that you plan to purchase. However, if you’re trying to save money, reduce waste, and generally get organized, you may want to consider creating a “reverse” shopping list instead.
With a reverse shopping list, you list out the things you already have to avoid duplicate purchases and make better use of existing ingredients. For example, if you already have pasta, canned tomatoes, and garlic, your reverse shopping list might show you that all you need to buy is parmesan and basil to make a full pasta dinner.
2. Start a savings jar
You might be familiar with the swear jar, which requires you to add money to the jar whenever you say a bad word. Why not turn that idea on its head and reward yourself when you do something good?
Here’s how a savings jar works: When you avoid an impulse purchase, reward yourself by setting aside a small amount (such as $5-$10). You can put your funds in a physical jar, or deposit your money in a dedicated savings account that serves as a symbolic savings jar — and also earns interest.
3. Create a visual savings tracker
If you’re a visual learner, creating a savings tracker to monitor your progress toward specific goals — whether you’re saving for a rainy day, retirement, or your next big vacation — could help accelerate your progress. For instance, you might have an X and Y graph with a line that visually shows your savings increasing over time. Or you could post a photo of the goal you are saving toward on your refrigerator to keep yourself motivated.
4. “Grow” your savings
One way to grow your savings is in the literal sense — by growing things you would otherwise buy. For example, you can start a small herb or container garden to reduce your grocery spending. This won’t necessarily lead to substantial savings, but it can be a fun and rewarding experience regardless.
5. Try a house-swap vacation
Hotel rooms can be expensive, so why not try a house swap for your next vacation? With a house swap, you exchange homes with another person or family for a set period, allowing both parties to stay in each other’s homes instead of booking hotels or rentals. You can house-swap with friends and family, or sign up for a service such as HomeExchange.
6. Take advantage of your local library
Your local library is one of the most underrated sources of savings. In addition to books and audiobooks, you can often rent movies, access streaming subscriptions, join free classes and workshops, and take advantage of free wi-fi and computers. These items don’t have to be purely educational, and you can find plenty of things that are more for entertainment purposes.
7. Randomize your savings
To keep things interesting, challenge yourself to save a random amount of money daily. You can do this by rolling a die and transferring the matching amount to savings each day. So, you might transfer $1, $2, $3, etc.
This simple idea can help you stay motivated since you don’t know how much money you will save until you roll, but it will always be a manageable amount. See how long you can keep the challenge going.
8. Guess your bills
Some bills, such as gas and electricity, are variable expenses that change based on usage. If your bills vary monthly, try guessing how much they will be before receiving them. Once you receive the bill, save the difference between your guess and the actual amount, whether your guess was higher or lower. This can be a fun way to get better at estimating your monthly expenses while building your cash reserves.
9. Barter with what you have
Bartering is the practice of trading goods and services instead of exchanging money. You may already have valuable items at home that you don’t necessarily need, which you can use to barter.
For example, if you started that home garden, you might be able to swap zucchinis and tomatoes with a neighbor who is willing to mow your lawn in exchange. Or give away the clothes your kids have outgrown to someone who can provide dog walking services.
10. Buy nothing
If you live in a big city, joining your local Buy Nothing group is a great idea. These Facebook groups allow locals to list items they want to give away for free — no payment, trading, or bartering allowed. All you have to do is pick them up.
To find a Buy Nothing group, visit BuyNothingProject.org or search “Buy Nothing [your town/neighborhood]” on Facebook. Once you’re in, you can either create a “give” post offering up anything you no longer need (like toys, clothes, and furniture), or create an “ask” post, where you request a specific item. Once you find someone, it’s up to you two to coordinate a pickup.
