After the tribunet from the Senate, and the white walk gathering thousands of people in front of Conflans-Saint-Honorine junior high school yesterday, national tribute will be paid on Wednesday October 21, 2020 to Samuel Paty, this history-geography teacher assassinated on October 16 in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Yvelines, by an Islamist.
As the Elysée said this ceeremony will be held “in agreement with the deceased’s family”. It will be held this Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. in La Sorbonne courtyard.
“Temple of belief, historical place of French university education, house of French genius”, the famous Parisian university is presented as “the symbolical monument of the Enlightenment spirit and the literary, cultural and educational standing in France” the presidency said, adding the establishment “has always managed, over the centuries, to be a tribune for expressing one’s liberties and ideas, a place that today has a strong symbolical dimension”.
Ce mercredi à 19h30, dans la cour de La Sorbonne, un hommage national sera rendu à Samuel Paty.
— Élysée (@Elysee) October 20, 2020
Tweet reads: "This Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., in La Sorbonne courtyard, national tribute will be paid to Samuel Paty."
During the ceremony, the family of the teacher assassinated Friday night in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine will be here, so will be bodies including the State including French President Emmanuel Macron obviously, as well as members of the governments and heads of the parliamentary chambers, as well as former heads of state including François Hollande, who confirmed his venue to BFMTV. The French Council of the Muslim Faith also said they will be there.
Even though this national tribute aims at being popular, it will be subjected to several restrictions because of the current health context. The number of invitations is then limited to 400, including a hundred for students from Île-de-France.
As for the public wishing to attend the tribute ceremony from the distance, two giant screens are expected in front of La Sorbonne. Because of curfew, BFMTV says the ceremony will end at 8:30 p.m.
Still according to BFMTV, the head of state will meet the family in a private place, and prior to the ceremony in order to posthumously award the Legion of Honor to teacher Samuel Paty who will also be made Commander of Academic Palms.
Then, the national tribute will start at 7:30 p.m. Republican guards will carry Samuel Paty's coffin all the way to La Sorbonne courtyard. The ceremony will then give way to a first song sung by the Garde Républicaine, the Choeur de l'armée française and the Maîtrise de Radio France.
Students and teachers are then said to read texts including Albert Camus's lettre to his tutor Louis Germain. Emmanuel Macron will ultimately speak to close this moment of collection. Last but not least, this national tribute will end on a minute of silence.
Dates and Opening Time
On October 21th, 2020
Starts at 07:30 p.m.
Location
The Sorbonne
17, rue de la Sorbonne
75005 Paris 5
