R FREE SPEECH–LOST IN TRANSLATION Volume 67 I 3 FREE S EECH L ST IN TRANSLATI N Chris Berg on Flemming Rose’s ‘controversial’ stand for free speech

Pakistani protests in March 2008 on the republication of controversial cartoons by Danish cartoonist . Image: AAP/Fayyaz Ahmad

CHRIS BERG In 2005 Rose was the culture The Jyllands-Posten editorial team THE PURPOSE OF Senior Fellow at the THE CARTOONS WAS Institute of Public Affairs editor of Jyllands-Posten. He were interested in the fact that a was aniconic. Rather it was whether portraits. One showed a cartoonist commissioned and published the Danish children’s author, Kåre the prohibition on depicting > TO TAKE A POSITION looking over his shoulder as he IN FAVOUR OF FREE cartoons in his section of the paper. Bluitgen, had only been able to get was to be applied to nervously drew the Prophet—also EXPRESSION, AND TO en years ago in And it was Rose who, more than an illustrator for his book on the life non-Muslims in a non-Muslim EDITORIALISE AGAINST a comment on the Jyllands-Posten September 2005, the anyone else, bore the brunt of the of Muhammad if the illustrations country. Some potential illustrators SELF-CENSORSHIP commission about free speech. All Danish newspaper backlash—as well as being the most were done anonymously. In the for Bluitgen’s book had contacted IN DENMARK. the cartoons were printed around a T Jyllands-Posten published prominent defender of the decision to middle of a Danish debate on self- Islamic religious and academic comment piece by Rose discussing twelve cartoons and sparked what publish. First published in Denmark censorship, this was an opportunity authorities in Denmark, who had the cartoons’ publication as a the Danish prime minister described in 2010, his book was written at first for the paper to take a stand: not given the project an all clear (at of a school child going by the statement against self-censorship as the worst crisis in Danish foreign to justify his actions and respond to a stunt, or an experiment, but a least one of those authorities, name of ‘Mohammed’—implicitly and in defence of . policy since the Second World War. critics. It has just been republished by statement of principles. Rose notes, took a lead in the mocking Jyllands-Posten. But In 2015 political backlashes are In his book, The Tyranny of the American free market think tank Most strands of are anti-cartoon reaction). the most provocative cartoons almost instantaneous. The cycle Silence: How One Cartoon Ignited A the , but developed into aniconic: that is, they oppose the The twelve cartoons were directly connected Muhammad of outrage, counter-outrage and Global Debate on the Future of Free a longer discourse about free speech depiction of images of their god published on 30 September with terrorism. One—possibly resolution can be completed within Speech, Danish journalist Flemming and censorship. and their Prophet Muhammad. Yet 2005. Not all of them depicted the most iconic—was a picture of 24 hours. Ten years ago—that is, Rose compellingly outlines what The purpose of the cartoons the question facing Jyllands-Posten Muhammad. At least two Muhammad’s face with a lit bomb before social media drowned out happened, and what the events was to take a position in favour of was not whether Islam, as practiced caricatured Kåre Bluitgen, in his turban. On the bomb was the the public sphere—political meant for the fight for liberty in free free expression, and to editorialise in by Europe’s muslim migrant suggesting the whole affair was Islamic creed ‘shahadah’. Others outrage took more time to build up. and unfree countries. against self-censorship in Denmark. communities or the Islamic world, a publicity stunt. Another was cartoonists offered more neutral Some newspaper sellers declined

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Iranian protestors and policeman at the gates of the Danish embassy in Tehran. Image: AAP/Behrouz Mehri Protesters display banners at a demonstration supporting freedom of expression, London, March 2006. Image: AAP/Matt Dunham

CONTINUED IN DENMARK, ROSE In December 2005, they travelled readers. According to the secretly sentiment contained within. The attempts to attack the offices of to sell the issue of Jyllands-Posten AND THE CARTOONIST to Cairo armed with a dossier that recorded statement of one of the Danish embassy in Damascus was Jyllands-Posten—a disturbing on the day. A few days after the > KURT WESTERGAARD included the cartoons. Danish clerics, the dossier was stormed. The European Union foreshadowing of the devastating publication, a group of Muslim WERE THE SUBJECT The imam’s dossier—all 43 intended to ‘create a climate of offices in Gaza were stormed. Riots attack earlier this year. leaders and activists agreed to take OF NUMEROUS pages of it—was probably the hate against the newspaper, occurred in Iraq, Afghanistan, and The Danish cartoons crisis political and legal action against the DEATH THREATS AND most inflammatory part of the God willing’. Pakistan. In Nigeria, protestors has, in light of subsequent events, paper. Two weeks later 3,500 Danish ASSASSINATION PLOTS. entire affair. It included not just In this, the dossier was a attacked and burned down local taken on a deeper meaning. But in Muslims peacefully protested the the cartoons and translations of great success. The result of the Christian churches. Some estimates 2005 the political undercurrents cartoons’ publication. And there a diplomatic issue with the Danish Jyllands-Posten’s editorials on Islam fundamentally political decision suggest that globally 200 people lost of clerical aniconism seemed to the reaction stalled. As the Danish government. In October 2005, a and self-censorship, but other to create a dossier that exaggerated their lives in the aftermath of the be at the forefront. The Danish scholar Jytte Klausen writes, ‘there diplomatic protest was lodged by the material as well. There were abusive and distorted the actions of Jyllands- cartoons’ publication. imams were playing Danish politics was no groundswell of support for ambassadors of eleven countries, letters which the imams said had Posten was devastating. Throughout In Denmark, Rose and the when they compiled their dossier the mosque activists and imams who including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, been sent to Muslims in Denmark. February 2006—more than four cartoonist Kurt Westergaard were the of grievances. One cleric had been led the charge against the newspaper Iran and Indonesia. Their protest There were clippings from other months after the publication of subject of numerous death threats and particularly incensed with Jyllands- and the government in Denmark.’ was acknowledged by the Danish papers, images completely the cartoons—protests and riots assassination plots. One particularly Posten for publishing details of a It was the international events government. But the Prime Minister unrelated to Denmark and erupted throughout the Muslim close call occurred when a Somali sermon he had given in which he that brought the crisis to a head. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, head of Jyllands-Posten, unsubstantiated world. The targets of ire were not man invaded Westergaard’s home described women as the devil’s As part of their political a centre-right coalition, affirmed and inaccurate claims about the just symbols of Denmark but with an axe and a knife. Westergaard work. He saw the cartoons as an campaign against the paper, the the paper’s right to free expression. relationship between Denmark other countries whose newspapers hid in a panic room until Danish opportunity for some payback. Danish imams had petitioned the Feeling themselves unsupported, the and its Muslim community, and either reprinted the cartoons or police shot and wounded the man, Likewise, the governments of ambassadors of Muslim countries imams decided to directly appeal a host of other material designed were generally presumed to be who was linked to a radical Islamist Saudi Arabia and Iran had their in Denmark to raise the cartoons as to Middle Eastern governments. specifically to rile up Muslim in league with the anti-Muslim group. Other plots disrupted include domestic audience in mind when

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punishment for blasphemy. Perhaps or expressions of blasphemous or and whistle blowers for criticising what the world saw in 2005 and 2006 discriminatory nature. The offended the government. was an international clash between party may bring such acts or Even Western, liberal leaders like two societies. The virtues of free expressions to court, and it is for the David Cameron and Angela Merkel expression were lost in translation. courts to decide in individual cases. preside over laws that prohibit and And yet this explanation is too Pleading the fundamental right punish hate speech. And Australia, of simple. Freedom of speech is hardly to freedom of expression simply course, has section 18C of the Racial an overriding concern in the West looks false when blasphemy and hate Discrimination Act. After the Charlie either. One need only look at the speech laws are sitting on the statute Hebdo killings Tony Abbott argued repeated legal actions taken against books, waiting to be used. rightly that ‘from time to time people Charlie Hebdo to see that. Or indeed, In the wake of the Charlie will be upset, offended, insulted, against Jyllands-Posten. Denmark Hebdo massacre in January 2015, humiliated … but it is all part of a has a blasphemy law which prohibits world leaders, foreign ministers, free society.’ Yet our legal system does the public ridicule of a religious ambassadors and other dignitaries not reflect this basic liberal principle. community. Denmark’s blasphemy gathered in Paris to take a stand Speech laws, we have been told law is a criminal law, rather than a against Islamist violence. Linking time and time again, play as much civil one. The committee of imams arms they walked solemnly down a a symbolic role as a practical one; complained to the police that such Parisian boulevard, looking as if they showing who we are as a nation, the a violation had occurred, but the were leading the protest marches that language and sentiments we will not outcome of the police investigation had brought more than a million tolerate. was that the cartoon publication people onto the streets in Paris that day. Rose’s Tyranny of Silence would be protected by exceptions is especially good when it covering matters of public interest. contextualises the cartoon crisis What messages do such HATE SPEECH AND in the long historical contest over laws send? They suggest that BLASPHEMY LAWS individual liberty and dissent. As religious insult is a matter for state > UNDERMINE THE a journalist, he spent a great deal supervision. Moreover, they imply LIBERAL FIREWALL of time talking to Soviet dissidents that the bounds of public discourse THAT EXISTS who wanted the same sort of liberal should be determined by legislation, BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL freedoms enjoyed in the West. EXPRESSION AND THE and that the proper response to Many Muslims now want the VIEWS OF SOCIETY offensive newspaper publications same freedoms but are prevented Journalist Flemming Rose, author and cultural editor of Jyllands Posten, discusses terror issues at the Danish Publicist Club, March 2015. Image: AAP/Mathias Bojesen AS A WHOLE. is to approach the police. No from expressing their desire by a wonder the immediate appeal stultifying public sphere in Islamic CONTINUED PERHAPS WHAT their views on the non-political of the imams—and the foreign In fact, this was an illusion: the countries and the aggressive political they lodged their Danish protests. THE WORLD SAW IN scandals of the hour, but the Danish governments—was directed to the famed photo-op was conducted in an dominance of radical Muslim The violence emanated primarily > 2005 AND 2006 WAS imams and the eleven Muslim Danish government. otherwise empty and secure side- ‘spokesmen’ in the West. from within Muslim countries AN INTERNATIONAL governments were after more than Hate speech and blasphemy street, far away from the crowds. As Rose points out, Western and not from Muslim migrants CLASH BETWEEN just a side-comment by Prime laws undermine the liberal firewall More egregious, and more liberalism’s weak and hesitating in Denmark. Local riots always TWO SOCIETIES—THE Minister Rasmussen. They wanted a that exists between individual suggestive, was the fact that many defence of free speech is not only a have local causes. Attacks on VIRTUES OF FREE legal and political response. expression and the views of society of the leaders who attended the poor defence of its own values, but Christians in Muslim-majority EXPRESSION WERE The principle of a free press as a whole. Once we have established protest apparently in defence of it abandons liberals in the Muslim countries were as much driven by LOST IN TRANSLATION. not subject to direct controls by the principle that the nation can freedom of expression were in world who are looking for alternative local prejudices as anything else. the government of the day is a prevent offensive speech, it is charge of countries that aggressively political paths. There are many In some countries—such as India crisis is the relationship between liberal one. Yet this liberal idea is unsurprising that people blame the stifled expression at home. Take, human rights activists in the Muslim and Pakistan—extremists used the Jyllands-Posten’s decision to publish not internationally unanimous. nation for having failed to prevent for instance, Sameh Shoukry, the world crying out for the liberties existence of the cartoons as a way the cartoons and the blame laid by The countries that protested so offence. Rasmussen’s response to the foreign minister of Egypt, marching which we now bargain away in the to destabilise domestic regimes. critics on the Danish government. vigorously against the cartoons do diplomatic protest stated that: at the very time that Al Jazeera mistaken name of ‘toleration’. Other protests were sponsored by How does a feature in an not share the ethos of the free press. The freedom of expression has journalists, including the Australian Defending freedom of expression the governments of Iran and Syria independent newspaper so quickly Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, a wide scope and the Danish Peter Greste, were locked up in a is not some academic preoccupation. to underline their own regimes’ become a question of diplomacy Iran impose the death penalty for government has no means of Cairo prison. So too was the Russian It is fundamental to our idea of religious piety. between national governments? We blasphemy. Turkey, Indonesia, Libya influencing the press. However, foreign minister—envoy to ourselves—to our liberties, and One notable aspect of the Danish are used to political leaders sharing and Morocco also impose judicial Danish legislation prohibits acts a country that targets journalists ultimately, to our civilisation. R

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