In the aftermath of the attack on Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday 7.1 the internet is overflowing with comments, opinions, views – for and against. Are we all Charlie now? Those who are against argue that Charlie Hebdo is too provocative, too satirical, islamofobic, antisemitist and generally in bad taste. Political satir is a difficult genre, and to understand you also need to understand the cultural context.
But that is not really the point. The point is that we should all, above all, defend the right to freedom of expression? Following this credo: “I might not like what you say, but I will defend your right to say it until my death”.
If this act of terror will open up old and create new wounds in Europe, drive us to go against each other instead of with each other, terror has won. And that should not be allowed to happen. The dividing line is not between people who belong to different religions of any kind, the dividing line is between people who believe in democracy and freedom of expression and people who believe it is their right to impose their views on everybody else, and to kill those who do not accept, in God’s name.
The Swedish newspaper DN has published one of the best texts I’ve seen so far about these questions, under the headline: Yes, it is “us” against “them” . But “we” are not the west against islam, or christians against jews, says DN. “We” are all those people, moslems and jews, hindus and christians, black, yellow, white, who today live in democracies where everybody has the right to express him- or herself, without fear. The western democracies where this is the case might not be perfect, but they are among the best societies we have so far been able to create for ourselves as human beings. which does not mean that freedom of expression should or is restricted to these countries. Where freedom of expression is a core value, it is a richness that we are different, not a threath, and we can all contribute equally and freely. This is what we must defend.
Tomorrow there will be solidarity marches all over France. I hope for a massive turn-out.
O S M A F Frankenhaeuser 