French minister says 'fatwa' was launched against teacher beheaded in Paris

France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin on Monday, October 19 said that a fatwa was launched against the teacher who was beheaded for showing Prophet Mohammed cartoons in the classroom. Gerald Darmanin, during an interview with Europe 1 radio, said that two of the eleven men held in connection with the case had launched a fatwa (religious ruling) against the teacher Samuel Paty before he was beheaded by a young Chechen man Abdoulakh A. 

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Gerald Darmanin also told the radio that over 80 cases of hate speech have been reported since Friday's attack, mostly against people supporting the gruesome act and posting messages in support of the attacker. Darmanin further said that over 50 Islamic associations will be visited by State authorities all week long and several, including Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) and BarakaCity, will be dissolved. 

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

The 18-year-old Russian-born Chechen man was shot dead by the police on the day of the attack not so far from the spot where Paty was killed. A knife and an airsoft gun were recovered from the attacker after he was killed by police in an operation. Several people associated with the attacker, including his grandfather, his 17-year-old brother have been arrested so far.

Read: French Police Operations Underway After Beheading Of Teacher

'Attack on the Republic'

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex condemned the incident and called it an attack on the Republic. The president of the Conference of imams in France, Hassen Chalghoumi also condemned the attack and said "Samuel is a martyr of freedom". Thousands of demonstrators gathered to pay homage to Paty and rally in support of freedom of speech. 

Last month, an 18-year-old Pakistani origin man was arrested in connection to an attack that took place near the former offices of French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, the same place which was attacked by two brothers armed with automatic rifles in 2015. Charlie Hebdo office was attacked for publishing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed. 

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