French PM, paying tribute to slain teacher, says France will defend its values

FILE PHOTO: Schoolchildren hold a picture of French history teacher Samuel Paty, one year after he was beheaded outside his school in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, as they pose during a ceremony at the Nice Education offices in Nice, France, October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Jean Castex paid tribute on Saturday to history teacher Samuel Paty a year after he was murdered by an Islamist radical, saying France would stand up for its values of secularism and freedom.

Paty's attacker, a teenager of Chechen origin, had wanted to avenge the teacher's use of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a class on freedom of expression for 13-year-olds. Muslims see any depiction of the Prophet as blasphemous.