While the trial of the January 2015 attacks opened at the beginning of the month, and the republication of the cartoons of Muhammad by Charlie Hebdo again sparked controversy, several dozen French media, including Europe 1, team up to publish an open letter in favor of freedom.

It has never happened that the media, which often defend divergent points of view and whose manifesto is not the usual form of expression, jointly decide to address their audiences and their fellow citizens in a also solemn.


If we are doing so, it is because it seemed crucial to us to alert you to one of the most fundamental values ​​of our democracy: your freedom of expression.

Today, in 2020, some of you are threatened with death on social media when you express singular opinions.

Media are openly identified as targets by international terrorist organizations.

States are putting pressure on French journalists "guilty" of having published critical articles.

The violence of words gradually turned into physical violence.

In the past five years, women and men in our country have been murdered by fanatics, because of their origins or their opinions.

Journalists and cartoonists have been executed to stop writing and drawing freely.

"No one should be worried about his opinions, even religious ones, provided that their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law", proclaims article 10 of the Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen of 1789, incorporated into our Constitution.

This article is immediately completed by the following: "The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious human rights; any citizen can therefore speak, write, print freely, except to answer for the abuse of this freedom in the cases determined by law. "

Yet it is the entire legal edifice developed over more than two centuries to protect your freedom of expression that is under attack, as never before for seventy-five years.

And this time by new totalitarian ideologies, sometimes claiming to be inspired by religious texts.

Of course, we expect the public authorities to deploy the necessary police resources to ensure the defense of these freedoms and to firmly condemn the States which violate the treaties guaranteeing your rights.

But we fear that the legitimate fear of death will spread its grip and inexorably stifle the last free spirits.

What will remain then of what the drafters of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 dreamed of?

These freedoms are so natural to us that we sometimes forget the privilege and comfort they constitute for each of us.

They are like the air we breathe and this air becomes scarce.

To be worthy of our ancestors who uprooted them and what they passed on to us, we must resolve not to give in to these deadly ideologies.

The laws of our land provide a framework for each of you which allows you to speak, write and draw like few other places in the world.

It's up to you to get hold of it.

Yes, you have the right to express your opinions and to criticize those of others, whether political, philosophical or religious as long as this remains within the limits set by law.

Let us recall here, in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo, which paid for its freedom with the blood of its collaborators, that in France, the offense of blasphemy does not exist.

Some of us are believers and can understandably be shocked at blasphemy.

However, they unreservedly associate themselves with our approach.

Because by defending the freedom to blaspheme, it is not blasphemy that we are defending but freedom.

We need you.

Of your mobilization.

From the rampart of your consciences.

The enemies of freedom must understand that we are all together their steadfast adversaries, whatever our differences of opinion or belief.

Citizens, local elected officials, political leaders, journalists, activists from all parties and all associations, more than ever in this uncertain time, we must join forces to drive out fear and make our indestructible love of Freedom triumph.

# DefendFreedom

The petitioners :

General information press alliance, BFMTV, Canal +, Challenges, Charlie Hebdo, Cnews, Europe1, France Télévisions, L'Alsace, L'Angérien Libre, L'Avenir de l'Artois, L'Echo de l'Ouest, L'Echo de la Lys, L'Equipe, L'Essor Savoyard, L'Est-Eclair, L'Est Républicain, L'Express, L'Hebdo de Charente-Maritime, L'Humanité, L'Humanité Sunday, L ' Indicator of Flanders, The new Corsican informant, L'Obs, L'Opinion, L'Union, La Charente Libre, La Croix, La Dépêche du Midi, The New Republic, The Renaissance of Loir-et-Cher, The Lochoise Renaissance , La Savoie, La Semaine dans le Boulonnais, La Tribune Républicaine, La Vie Corrézienne, La Voix du Nord, Le Bien public, Le Canard Enchaîné, Le Courrier français, Le Courrier de Gironde, Le Courrier de Guadeloupe, Le Courrier de l ' Ouest, Le Courrier Picard, Le Dauphiné libéré, Le Figaro, Le Figaro Magazine, Le Journal d'Ici, Le Journal des Flandres, Le Journal du Dimanche, Le Journal du Médoc, Le Journal de Montreuil, Le Journal de Saône -et-Loire, Le Maine Libre, Le Messager, Le Monde, Le Parisien / Today in France, Le Parisien Week-end, Le Pays Gessien, Le Phare Dunkirk, Le Point, Le Progrès, Le Républicain Lorrain, Le Réveil de Berck, Le Semeur hebdo, Le Télégramme, The Latest News from Alsace, Les Echos, Les Echos du Touquet, LCI, Liberation, Liberation Champagne, M6, Marianne, Midi Libre, Monaco Matin, Nice Matin, Nord Eclair, Nord Littoral , Ouest France, Paris Match, Paris Normandie, Presse Océan, Radio France, RMC, RTL, Sud Ouest, TF1, Var Matin, Vosges Matin.