Assembly of Chechens of Europe Decries Teacher's Killing Near Paris

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2020) The Assembly of Chechens of Europe strongly denounced on Saturday the murder of a schoolteacher near Paris, which had been purportedly committed by a young man of Chechen origin.

On Friday, media reported that an unknown man had beheaded a history teacher outside a school in the commune of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. The alleged assailant was shot dead by police officers in the neighboring commune of Eragny. According to French media reports, the perpetrator was an 18-year-old man of Chechen descent born in Moscow. The murdered teacher is said to have taught his students freedom of speech lessons and showed them cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

"The Assembly of Chechens of Europe condemns this crime in the strongest terms and wishes to reaffirm the position of its members who condemn all forms of religious extremism and any acts of violence," the organization said in a statement, published on its website.

The assembly at the same time urged politicians and the media to refrain from statements that may negatively affect the Chechen diaspora. They stressed that no community can be held responsible for individual acts of its members.