Isn't attacking a Muslim prophet or diety and not expecting a reaction like poking a hornet nest

[Gunner Since Time Began - born to moan]

with a stick and being surprised when you get stung?

[the splendor of antigone]

[Clueless Wanger]

:wave:
Just remember hell is eternity watching Spurs at the Lane in Thursday night cup

[The Tony]

Someone needs to have a word with the French....jokes over..,no need to carry on pissing the Zulus off

[redgunamo]

[Snin]

children then ive no problem with whatever they print..but they wont as freedom of speech seems to be freedom to abuse muslims but not doubt holocaust or abuse jews..weird really you'd think freedom of speech would go both ways ?

[Berni]

Poking the hornet's nest was sort of the point, you mong.

[Snin]

...and the journo wouldnt apologise so they sacked him.. so they are a bunch of bull****ing ****s who only pick on certain targets ? f**k em to be honest

[Berni]

12 times by the Catholic Church.

However, that isn't really the point. I hold no brief for Charlie Hebdo. I think it was a pretty crappy publication that wasn't particularly funny, took a lot of cheap shots, seemed to kick down rather than up and was pretty explicitly Islamophobic.

However, I have no problem with Islamophobia except its name. 'Phobia' suggests an irrational fear, whereas fear of Islam strikes me as pretty f**king rational.

The issue with what happened at Charlie Hebdo is that people got shot because they dared to offend an explicitly violent and irrational group of people. The principle is that we cannot tolerate censorship by the threat of violence. So whether poking the hornet's nest was funny or not; whether it wise or not, it did take a certain bloody-minded courage. They - whether they thought they would or not - paid with their lives for an important principle. So I will salute them for that