The editor of a satirical French magazine accused of insulting Muslims by reprinting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad has been acquitted.
A French court has ruled in favour of weekly Charlie Hebdo, rejecting accusations by Islamic groups who said it incited hatred against Muslims.
The cartoons were covered by freedom of expression laws and were not an attack on Islam, but fundamentalists, it said.
The Grand Mosque of Paris and a union of Islamic groups brought the case.
I suppose I could joke about “this can’t happen here” – but, of course, it can and does. Just because a society evolves to include freedom of speech as a basic right doesn’t mean that reactionary elements in the same society won’t stop trying to push folks back into the Dark Ages.
of course, there will always be something people won’t want to allow as free speech. c.f. kiddie porn. What appears naturally to one as being something that should not be tolerated is simply free speech for another.
I advocate not listening to that which is offensive.
Actualy it was the hateful reaction to the cartoon by Muslims that incited hatred against Muslims.
Amen brother!
It was a useful demonstration of how much the fundies of Islam and Christianity have in common.
Free speech is never NOT going to piss some people off.
These f*cktards have to suck it up, they don’t live in a muslim nation.
No, it could not happen in the USA. Because not a single US daily dared to re-print the Danish cartoons.
ni dieu ni maitre