Paris Kosher supermarket shootings: Lassana Bathily – Muslim shopworker who saved six people

A French supermarket worker has been hailed a hero after he saved several people in the kosher supermarket shooting in Vincennes.

Lassana Bathily was working as a clerk in the Hyper Cacher supermarket, when gunman Amedy Coulibaly stormed into the shop and allegedly executed four hostages.

Bathily, showing extraordinary calmness, ushered several of the terrified customers into the safety of the shop's large freezer.

Speaking to BFMTV, Bathily described how he hid six shoppers inside the room freezer in to evade the gunman.

"When they ran down, I opened the door (from the freezer.)

"There were several people who came to me. I turned off the light and I turned off the freezer.

"When I turned off the cold, I put them (hostages) in, I closed the door, I told them to stay calm."

The hostages reportedly thanked Bathily, who, like Coulibaly is Muslim from Malian heritage, for his act of bravery.

Gunman Amedy Coulibaly, was killed when police raided the market, not before four hostages were executed.

Many social media users have called for Lassana Bathily to be publicly recognised for his bravery, labelling him a true French hero.

France's Jewish Defence League praised Lassana Bathily for saving "many Jewish lives by hiding them in the cold room".

The tweet ends with the hashtag, "Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies".