Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended freedom of expression Friday, but said it was "not without limits" and that it should not cause "arbitrary and unnecessary offense" to certain groups.
In response to a question about the right to publish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad - may God bless him and grant him peace - similar to what the French "Charlie Hebdo" magazine did, Trudeau said, "We will always defend the freedom of expression," adding, "But freedom of expression is not without limits."
He continued, "It is our duty to act respectfully towards others and to strive not to hurt those with whom we share the community and the world," explaining that no person has the right to shoot in a cinema teeming with people, stressing, "There are always limits."
The Canadian Prime Minister took a distance from the position of French President Emmanuel Macron, and called for the use of freedom of expression with caution.
He added that in a pluralistic, diverse and respectful society, "it is our duty to be aware of the impact of our words and actions on others, especially communities and groups that still suffer a great deal of discrimination."
Trudeau stressed the condemnation of the attack in the French city of Nice, and said, "It is not justifiable, and Canada condemns from the bottom of its heart these actions and stands with our French friends who are going through very difficult times."
On Thursday, 3 people were stabbed to death in a church in Nice, southern France, in an attack carried out by a Tunisian who was arrested.
Trudeau previously commented on the incident by saying, "Whoever carries out such attacks does not represent Islam or Muslims, and it must be recognized."
"These are heinous and unjust criminal acts in any case, and an insult to all our values," he added. "Those who carry out these attacks are criminals, terrorists and cold-blooded killers who do not represent Islam."
Trudeau's position differs from the French President and his country's authorities, who insist on using the phrase "Islamic terrorism" to describe such attacks.