A history teacher was beheaded on Friday in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, after showing caricatures of Mohammed to his students.

Before the tragedy, a father of a student had taken him to task and revealed his identity on social networks.

Karine, whose daughter was taking the teacher's course, had tried to defend herself.

In vain.

TESTIMONY

While the investigation is progressing and the custody continues after the beheading of Professor Samuel Paty in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, the emotion is still strong in the town.

A white march is to be held on Tuesday afternoon in memory of the teacher, murdered for showing caricatures of Muhammad to his students during a course on freedom of expression.

"Every morning, I wake up telling myself that it's a nightmare, that it's not possible", testifies Karine, a mother of a student, at the microphone of Europe 1. Beyond sadness, Karine feels guilt.

Because she had defended Samuel Paty from the start of the controversy, in vain.

>> Find Europe Matin in replay and podcast here

"I told myself that I couldn't let this go"

"I had seen the video of the dad", she explains, referring to the father of a student who had posted on social networks a very virulent video against the professor, whom he referred to as a "thug" and accused of "pornography".

"When I saw her, I said to myself that it was not possible, I could not let it go. He said that we had shown a photo when it was a caricature, that we wanted target Muslims when we had not targeted anyone, "continues Karine.

"I was one of the mothers who made a comment saying that my daughter was in her class and that it absolutely did not go like that. He did not answer me, after I had comments very virulent, ”recalls the student's mother.

The rest, everyone knows. 

"As if I wanted to save the world and I didn't succeed"

Today, Karine "lives with this guilt".

"It's like I wanted to save the world and I didn't succeed."

On Saturday, the day after Samuel Paty's assassination, she "completely collapsed" when she arrived in front of the school and was taken care of by the dedicated psychological unit.

"I felt like I felt responsible for not having managed to save him."

So Karine made a promise to her daughter.

"Every day, we will come to place either a candle or a flower in his memory. I don't want to be forgotten. Especially not."