On Friday, the British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie was stabbed during a lecture on a stage in Chautauqua, northwest of New York.
"It is a terrible act, I sincerely hope that Rushdie's injuries do not extinguish his life or silence his voice.
Our support for Rushdie and for freedom of opinion and expression is stronger than ever", writes Mats Alm in a text message to SVT Nyheter.
Even Britain's outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, regrets the attack.
“I am appalled that Sir Salman has been stabbed while exercising a right that we should never stop defending.
Right now my thoughts are with his loved ones.
We all hope he is okay," Johnson writes on Twitter.
Rushdie is a British citizen and knighted.
"Can't think of a similar attack"
Rushdie is also the former president of the organization American PEN, which provides support to threatened and imprisoned writers and defends free speech.
“We cannot think of a similar violent attack on a writer on American soil.
Salman Rushdie has been a target for his words for decades but has never backed down," says American PEN's current president Suzanne Nossel in a statement.
The chairman of Swedish PEN, Jesper Bengtsson, tells SVT Nyheter that the attack is a threat to the entire freedom of expression.
- It is extremely tragic.
The threats against him have always been a threat to the entire freedom of expression.
No other case has involved freedom of expression work to the same extent.
The Muslim Council condemns
The Muslim Council of Britain condemns the attack:
- Such violence is wrong and the perpetrator must be brought to justice, writes the organization on Twitter.
"Terrible news," writes author JK Rowling on Twitter, while her colleague, Stephen King, writes that he "hopes Salman Rushdie is okay."