Posted on 09/19/2012 9:11:09 AM PDT by marthemaria
French weekly publishes a satirical cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed - fearing a backlash over the stunt, France is to close several of its embassies in the Middle East. RT asks political pundit Pierre Guerlain why freedom of speech trumps security.
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, boasts its highest circulation this year – actually since the previous controversial issue guest-edited by “the Prophet Mohammed.” In November 2011, the weekly’s headquarters was firebombed by insulted Muslim protesters over the publication.
This time, the consequences may be just as dramatic, given a week of violent protests around the globe over an amateur film mocking at the Prophet. Charlie Hebdo’s website has already been hacked, with the attack still ongoing.
For France, the publication has brought an additional headache. French embassies and schools in around 20 countries will be closed over security concerns; some will not resume work till Saturday or later. In Lebanon, the country’s authorities have sent tanks to protect the French mission in Beirut.
At home, the French government refused to allow a planned protest on Saturday against the US-produced film The Innocence of Muslims to go ahead. Reports suggest that rallies against the cartoons prompted by several Islamic groups will not get a green light either.
Earlier protests over The Innocence of Muslims saw some 150 people arrested in Paris over the weekend. That rally had not been sanctioned.
To talk more about the controversy around the publication and protests, RT sits down with Pierre Guerlain, a professor of political science at Paris West University Nanterre La Defense.
(Excerpt) Read more at rt.com ...
Did the gendarme haul him in for questioning?
Pitiful when France has more respect for free speech than America.
When Prophet goes viral: ‘Freedom of speech has price’
Free speech has always had a price ask the tens of millions of Americans that have fought and so many have died to insure we have it.
Now let's get the rest of the civilized world to man up and fight back.
LMAO.....
The film that engulfed the Muslim world
“And my ass? You love my ass?”
What a riot!
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