Marion Gauthier, at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine 8:23 p.m., October 15, 2021

In all schools, colleges and high schools in France, a tribute to Samuel Paty was paid this Friday.

A minute of silence, debates, the screening of documentaries… Each establishment had the choice of how it wanted to honor the memory of the teacher.

His college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine paid him an obviously special tribute. 

REPORTING

At Conflans-Sainte-Honorine college, the tribute was both expected and feared in these walls where almost all the students and teachers met Samuel Paty, murdered by an Islamist terrorist a year ago.

Texts, poems or music resonated there.

The children came out with red eyes, some collapsed, others rushed at their parents.

All were still affected by the tragedy that occurred a year ago in the town of Yvelines.

"He is always in our heart"

Inès and Lina had close tears, but were relieved to have shared their emotion.

"There was a young man who did like a little rap where he told the teacher that we were missing. He said very, very touching things and a lot of people cried," says Inès.

"My heart is heavy. It's cruel, what happened, there are no words ... It was important to come because it shows that we are still united and that it is always in our heart. Even if there was this problem, we can pass this test, "Lina hopes.

Hundreds of little words have been pasted on a mural, with a paper mausoleum for a funny and passionate teacher, as his colleagues testified again.

And to support them, a dozen parents of students gathered in a small committee.

"It represents a unit", defines Corinne Grootaert, departmental delegate of the FCPE.

"It's just to have something intimate all together, because it is together that we lived this tragedy and that it is together that we want to rebuild ourselves."

A guest book open until Saturday

In front of the establishment of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Friday, it was the same parade as a year ago.

Curved silhouettes which come to lay flowers in front of the establishment, a colorful flowerbed which is spreading little by little in the same place as a year ago.

A guest book was also open until Saturday, to pay a new tribute to Samuel Paty.