At the trial for the assassination of Samuel Paty, one of the accused calls himself a “victim” and creates unease

The father of the college gienne accused of having designated Samuel Paty as a target on social networks is judged at the trial of the assassination of the professor. Between protests, apologies and victim tone, his statements have shocked .

Without him, the assassination of Samuel Paty might never have happened. Brahim Chnina is one of eight adults tried in this case in which he is described as the “father of the schoolgirl”. This 52-year-old man, who originated false rumors targeting the history and geography teacher, is accused of having initiated a vast hate campaign on social networks with one of the others accused, the Islamist activist Abdelhakim Sefrioui.

The father, whose personality test revealed a deep attachment to his loved ones and a propensity to “take care of others”, had held Samuel Paty responsible for the – fictitious – exclusion of his daughter. He assured that the teacher had not tolerated the schoolgirl standing up to him after the distribution of caricatures of the prophet Mohammed during a class on freedom of expression. Brahim Chnina then shared the teacher's identity and address on social media in videos “intended to stir up hatred,” designating Samuel Paty “as a target.”

Facts and accusations contested by the schoolgirl's father when he took the stand at the trial for the murder of Samuel Paty, on Wednesday, November 6, at the special assize court in Paris. “I do not recognize the facts that I am accused of,” he declared behind the glass of his box in front of the audience, including the civil parties and his relatives who came to attend the hearing. But while Brahim Chnina denied the accusations, he also expressed remorse four years after Samuel Paty's death and apologized to the teacher's family: “I deeply regret it. I apologize to the family and to this poor teacher who should never have died in these conditions.” Apologies that Me Virginie Leroy, one of the Paty family's lawyers, interrupted. short: “We don't need your excuses here, but your explanations”.

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He calls himself “a victim of terrorism”

The investigation into the assassination of Samuel Paty concluded that the videos of Brahim Chnina reached the terrorist Abdoullakh Anzorov who beheaded the professor, before being himself shot dead by law enforcement. The two men were in contact by telephone several times a few days before the attack of October 16, 2020, between October 9 and 13, according to the investigations. The young terrorist of Chechen origin was “immersed in religion” according to the testimonies of former neighbors and his terrorist act suggests radicalization. But the schoolgirl's father is described in the conclusions of the personality investigation as a pious person without being radicalized.

The man says on the contrary that he is “very aware” of the dangers linked to terrorism, particularly on the Internet. He even adds, without much regard for Samuel Paty's family, that he is himself a “victim of terrorism”, referring to one of his sisters, mentally deficient, who flew to Syria after being “indoctrinated” by a jihadist. 

"We are not radicalized. We grew up in secularism" insisted Brahim Chnina in front of the personality investigator. A report to secularism that still raises questions after his remarks and accusations against Samuel Paty. The man was also questioned about his relationship with his daughter's school and, again, his answers were surprising after the teacher's murder. He said he had left the children's schooling to his wife and had never had any contact with the school before October 8, the day he requested the teacher's dismissal. The man also said have “respect” for teachers and have a habit of agreeing with “the teachers, not [his] daughter” in the event of a conflict.