France to bid farewell to murdered history teacher on Wednesday

In France, the farewell ceremony for the murder History teacher would be held on Wednesday, October 21. National broadcaster BFMTV reported the update on Sunday citing government sources. The information was later confirmed by French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer. While the time and place of the ceremony have not been determined as yet, authorities said that it would be organised in consultation with the victim's family.

Read: Paris Beheading: French PM Pledges 'most Decisive' Response To Killing Of Teacher

Read: Suspect In Gruesome Beheading Of French Teacher Was 18-year-old Chechen: Police

Suspect killed by police

In an incident that has shocked Europe, a French school teacher, who had apparently shown his students a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed, was hacked to death in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine commune north of Paris on Friday, October 16. As per reports, the knife-wielding attacker was shot by the police as they tried to arrest him in the aftermath of the attack. The law enforcement officers are currently investigating the case alongside the counter-terrorism department of the prosecutor's office. 

In the aftermath of the attack, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the incident as a "terrorist attack". While condemning the attack,  Macron said that the compatriot was murdered for teaching children freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex also expressed solidarity with teachers in the nation and promised to respond in the “most decisive way” to the gruesome beheading of the teacher. In a statement posted on Twitter, French PM said that the Republic has been "struck in the heart by Islamist terrorism". Moreover, Castex reiterated that "we will never give up, never".

France Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer also criticised the incident and called it an "attack on France". His tweet in French roughly translates as: "Tonight the [French] republic was attacked with the heinous murder of a teacher. Tonight as I think about him and his family, I feel that our unity and solidarity are the only answers to the cruelty of terrorism. We will fight back." 

Read: France: People Outside School Where Attack Took Place Express Shock

Read: Suspect In Teacher's Beheading In France Was Chechen Teen

Image Credits: AP