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world news Diahuebs 22 OctOber 2020

UK festival curator accuses UAE minister of sex assault

(AP) — The chair of Brit- responsibilities and tragically
ain's Hay literary festival undermined his govern-
said Sunday the event will ment's attempt to work with
not return to Abu Dhabi Hay Festival to promote free
after one of the festival's speech and female empower-
curators alleged that she ment," she added.
was sexually assaulted by The sheikh's ministry paid
the tolerance minister of for the four-day festival in
the United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi, which took place
while working with him. in late February and featured
Lawyers for the minister several famous authors.
later denied her account. Sheikh Nahyan has received
international attention as the
Caitlin McNamara alleged Emirates hosted Pope Francis
she was attacked in Febru- and moves toward normaliz-
ary by Sheikh Nahyan bin ing ties with Israel while wel-
Mubarak Al Nahyan, a mem- coming Jews to this Muslim-
ber of Abu Dhabi's ruling ruled nation.
family, the Sunday Times re- _______ This story was first
ported. published on Oct. 18, 2020.
The Times said McNama- lawyers for Sheikh Nahyan an initial statement has been will not return to Abu Dhabi It was updated on Oct. 21,
ra, who had travelled to the said in a statement. taken from her. while the sheikh remains in 2020 to reflect a revised state-
UAE to work on the launch The Foreign Ministry of the The Associated Press does his post. ment from Britain's Met-
of the literary festival there, UAE, a federation of seven not usually name sexual as- "What happened to our friend ropolitan Police that said a
claimed she was assaulted by sheikhdoms on the Ara- sault victims, but McNamara and colleague Caitlin McNa- woman contacted police on
the sheikh when they met at bian Peninsula also home to agreed to be identified by the mara in Abu Dhabi last Feb- July 3 to "report an allega-
a remote island villa. Dubai, said it does not com- Sunday Times, which ran her ruary was an appalling viola- tion of attempted rape, digi-
"Our client is surprised and ment on personal matters. picture on the front page. tion and a hideous abuse of tal penetration and false im-
saddened by this allegation, When asked about the claims, Hay Festival chair Caroline trust and position," Michel prisonment." The story has
which arrives eight months Britain's Metropolitan Po- Michel said her colleagues said in a statement. been updated to address this
after the alleged incident and lice confirmed that a woman are committed to supporting "Sheikh Nahyan bin change and to include the full
via a national newspaper. The contacted the force on July McNamara in seeking legal Mubarak Al Nahyan made statement from the minister's
account is denied," British 3 to report the case and said action and said the festival a mockery of his ministerial lawyers.

Macron says beheaded teacher was victim of stupidity, hate

(AP) — President Em- poem by Albert Camus to Chechen refugee. Anzorov
manuel Macron promised his own teacher, came hours claimed responsibility in a
Wednesday that France after the prosecutor sketched text accompanied by a photo-
will not renounce free- out how the teenager came to graph of the victim found on
doms taught by a school- kill Paty, with the suspected his phone. The other suspects
teacher beheaded by a help of two young students include a student's father who
radical Islamist last week at the school in a northwest posted videos on social media
after showing caricatures Paris suburb. that called for mobilization
of the prophet of Islam to Jean-Francois Ricard said a against the teacher and an Is-
his class. 14-year-old and a 15-year- lamist activist who helped the
old are among seven people man disseminate the virulent
At a national memorial at taken before an investigat- messages, which named Paty
the Sorbonne University in ing magistrate on accusations and gave the school's address,
central Paris, Macron praised of "complicity in murder in Ricard said.
history teacher Samuel Paty relation with a terrorist un- Two more men, aged 18 and
as the "face of the Republic" dertaking" and "criminal con- 19, are accused of accompa- "Samuel Paty was the victim the Palestinian Hamas, Col-
who "believed in knowledge." spiracy." nying the attacker when he of a conspiracy of stupidity, lective Cheikh Yassine was
Paty, 47, was murdered on The killer offered students at bought the weapons, includ- hate, lies ... hate of the other founded in the early 2000s
Friday by an 18-year-old of the school where Paty taught ing a knife and an airsoft gun, ... hate of what we profound- by the Islamist activist who is
Chechen origin who had be- 300-350 euros ($355-$415) the prosecutor said. One of ly are," Macron said during among the seven people ac-
come radicalized. He was in to help him pick out the edu- them allegedly drove Anzo- his speech, which blended cused of being accomplices
turn shot dead by police. cator, Ricard said during a rov, who lived in the Nor- honors to the victim and the to the attacker.
"Samuel Paty ... became the news conference. mandy town of Evreux about teaching profession with his Attal also confirmed that
face of the Republic, of our "The investigation has estab- 90 kilometers (56 miles) away, government's efforts to root the government ordered a
will to shatter terrorists, to lished that the perpetrator to near the school about three out Islamist radicals. mosque in the northeast Paris
(do away with) Islamists, to knew the name of the teach- hours before the killing. On Wednesday morning, the suburb of Pantin to close for
live like a community of free er, the name of the school Another 18-year-old suspect French government issued an six months.
citizens in our country," Ma- and its address, yet he did had close contacts with the order to dissolve a domestic The Pantin mosque is being
cron said. "We will continue." not have the means to iden- attacker and endorsed radical militant Islamic group, the punished for relaying the an-
A ceremonial military guard tify him," the prosecutor said. Islamism, Ricard said. Collective Cheikh Yassine. gry father's message on social
carried the teacher's coffin "That identification has only All three of them, who were Government spokesperson media.
into the cobblestone court- been possible with the help friends of Anzorov, allegedly Gabriel Attal said it was "im- Authorities say it has long
yard of the Sorbonne where of students from the same said that "he was 'radicalizing' plicated, linked to Friday's had an imam following the
the memorial took place be- school." for several months, marked attack" and it was used to Salafist path, a rigorous inter-
fore his family, government He said the implication of the by a change of behavior, promote anti-republican hate pretation of the Muslim holy
members and select guests. two young adolescents "ap- physical appearance, isola- speech. Other groups will book.
A giant screen was installed peared to be conclusive." tion, an assiduous frequenta- be dissolved "in the coming A national memorial event is
outside. Authorities have identi- tion of the mosque and am- weeks" for similar reasons, scheduled to be held Wednes-
The stirring ceremony, with fied the killer as Abdoullakh biguous remarks about Jihad Attal said. day evening in the courtyard
readings that included a Anzorov., a Moscow-born and the Islamic State group." Named after a slain leader of of the Sorbonne university.