After the cartoons crisis, Macron: France will not change its right of expression because it causes a shock abroad

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his regret for the relatively timid international support after the recent attacks in his country, reiterating that France will not "change" its right to freedom of expression only because it raises shock abroad.

"5 years ago, when they killed the people who were drawing cartoons in the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the whole world marched in Paris and defended these rights," Macron said in an interview published by Le Grand Continent online.

Now we have a teacher who has been slaughtered and many people have been slaughtered;

But many of the condolences were shy, referring to the killing of the French teacher, Samuel Bate, on October 16, and 3 people in Nice, on the 29th.

"On the other hand, we have political and religious officials from a part of the Islamic world who have systematically said, 'You have to change this right to freedom of expression, and this matter shocks me, as I respect cultures and civilizations, but I will not change my right because it causes shock abroad," he said.

He concluded by saying, "Let us not lock ourselves in the camp of those who do not respect the differences. This is a manipulation of history. The struggle of our generation in Europe is the struggle to defend our freedoms because they are being shaken."

Macron's recent statements contradict previous statements by Al-Jazeera, in which he said, "The news that was reported that he supports the offensive cartoons of the Holy Prophet is misleading and carved out of context," stressing that he has no problem with Islam, but rather his battle against terrorism and extremism, describing the campaign to boycott French products without Decent.

Last October, France witnessed the publication of cartoons insulting to the Prophet - Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace - on the facades of buildings, which the French President considered "freedom of expression."

The cartoons and Macron's statements sparked a wave of anger among Muslims around the world, and campaigns were launched in many Muslim and Arab countries to boycott French products.

The immunity of officials

In return for Macron's talk of respecting freedom of expression with regard to images offensive to Islam, the French Parliament is preparing to discuss a proposed law criminalizing the circulation of offensive images of the police on social media.

The French Police Syndicate has been pressing hard and for a long time on the government and members of parliament to adopt a law that protects it from pictures and videos, which it describes as "offensive" to it during service, and which activists circulate on social networks, especially during the yellow vest protests between 2018-2019.

This law proposal raises the concern and anger of media and human rights activists.

Because they believe it would enhance impunity for police perpetrators of violence, and even allow them to hide their slip-ups and transgressions, removing an important source of evidence during their perpetration of repression.

The National Union of the French Judiciary commented on this proposal that the police would be the only ones entitled to "evade the honor of the camera."

Amnesty International also warned that if the law was passed, the French government would violate the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, which protects freedom of expression.

The "public security" law proposal, presented by the "Republic Forward Party", founded by Macron, will be presented to the General Assembly (the first chamber of parliament) for discussion between 17 and 20 November.

Macron shows no embarrassment in adopting a law that his country's media considers against freedom of expression and the press, although he fiercely defends the right of Charlie Hebdo newspaper to publish caricatures offensive to the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.

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The "Amnesty International" a few days ago criticized the French government’s position in the crisis of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, noting that the French Parliament is currently discussing a law criminalizing the circulation of pictures of French officials through social media.

"France is not a champion of freedom of expression as it claims," ​​said Marco Pirolini, an Amnesty International researcher on Europe. "In 2019, a French court convicted two men of contempt, after they burned an effigy representing French President Emmanuel Macron during a peaceful demonstration."

In an article published on the organization’s official website, Berolini added that it is difficult to reconcile these facts with France’s fierce defense of the mockery of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, especially since its record on freedom of expression is bleak, as thousands of people are indicted every year on the charge of “contempt of public officials”.

According to the writer, President Emmanuel Macron and his government announced their support for freedom of expression after the murder of the French teacher, Samuel Bate, who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a classroom.

But they launched their own attack on freedom of expression.

He cited to this the case of the French police investigation last week with 4 children of 10 for hours, on suspicion of "justifying terrorism", after apparently questioning the murdered teacher choosing to display the offensive cartoons to his students.

Pirolini emphasized that objecting to cartoons offensive to Islam does not make one a separatist or a fanatic, as the French government claims.

On October 28, a French organization canceled the contract with the Mauritanian cartoonist Khaled Ould Moulay Idris, after he published cartoons of the French President, against the background of insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.