Samuel Patty was killed near Paris on Friday after showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

During a lesson on freedom of speech, Paris correspondent Lucy Williamson reports once again around the figure of Marianne, a sea of defiance, This statue, this square.

Ah, homing point For a nation whose values have come under attack since his death on Friday, Samuel Patty, like others before him, has become a symbol of France itself.

It's important to be here today for this to show our collective strength because that's what can help us follow principles during tough times.

We're here to defend the values of the Republic.

Liberty, equality, fraternity on secularism.

The government is to inactive.

Something must be done.

The prime minister, Jean Cast X, arrived in plastered a republic in a mask printed with the French flag.

His message on Twitter today read, You won't scare us with France.

The newest slogan on posters here I am, Samuel or simply I am a teacher.

An echo of the rallying cry sparked by the attacks on Charlie Hebdo five years ago.

This samba rally is a show of unity in the wake of Samuel Patties death.

But it's also proof of the power of social media to deliver a message and bring people together the same power that enabled a one man campaign against a local teacher to spiral out of control.

Samuel Patty was killed by a man who knew him only through social media, the result of an online campaign launched by an outraged parent that spread quickly outside Khan floor across France.

Tens of thousands of people have joined the rallies in his name, a man who stood for the values of the nation remembered today by a nation standing with him.

Lucy Williamson, BBC News Paris.