A 24 year old Muslim man Lassana Bathily who worked at a supermarket that was targeted by gunmen in the just ended siege in Paris was granted French citizenship in appreciation for his “courage and heroism”.
Bathily who worked in the MUSLIM kosher supermarket managed to hide 6 shoppers in the chiller when a gunman opened fire.
He was praised for his “courage and heroism” by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve during a ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
Mr Cazeneuve said Mali-born Bathily’s “act of humanity has become a symbol of an Islam of peace and tolerance”.
Bathily was in the store’s underground stockroom when Amedy Coulibaly burst in to the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Porte de Vincennes, Paris, on January 9 and killed four people.
Bathily escorted the terrified customers to safety in a supermarket chiller and has since been praised around the world for his quick-thinking and bravery.
Bathily said “When they ran down, I opened the door [of the freezer].
‘There are several people who came to me. I turned off the light, I turned off the freezer.
WARM WELCOME: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, left, and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, center, award citizenship to Lassana Bathily during a ceremony in Paris yesterday (Jan 20)
“When I turned off the cold, I put them [hostages] in, I closed the door, I told them to stay calm.”
Using a goods lift he escaped and was able to give the police valuable information about what was happening inside and where the hostages were hiding.
“Tonight I’m very proud and deeply touched,” Mr Bathily, who has lived in France since 2006 and attended a school in the capital, said at the ceremony yesterday.
“People are all equal to me and skin color isn’t a matter. France is the country of human rights,” he added.
He had filed an application for French citizenship last year.
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