Just what he needs to cover his back; French philosophers.
I haven't kept up with the latest scene, but there are some French philosophers out there now who are trying to undo the damaged caused by people like Sartre and Derrida.
That's probably who these people are. Because it takes guts to speak up in this situation, and put their names on the line.
C'mon, you can't fault them for coming to his defense. On the contrary, it must be noted that they are the ONLY ones who have done so. This poor guy says that he is homeless, is moving around at his own expense. Rushdie moved around at the government's expense. Now consider this. The French government will pay for all kinds of ridiculous, frivolous things but not this. The French government and the overwhelming majority of the French people have MUCH of which to be ashamed. But these philosphers, even if their action is patently useless, at least showed some modicum of courage. The typical European response to any suffering is to raise the right hand, place it on the right cheek and make the sound of a barnyard animal in labor. Note their response to Kosovo, Darfur, ......... They simply do not care anymore than to offer platitudes. At least the philosophers did something, no matter how trivial. Sometimes the pot needs to be stirred. Now we'll see how the rest of France responds.